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P 



HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 




THE PALACE OF THE KING— FROM PEST 



HUNGARY 

AND THE 

HUNGARIANS 



W. B. FORSTER BOVILL 



WITH SIXTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR BY 

WILLIAM PASCOE 

AND TWELVE OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS 



NEW YORK: THE McCLURE COMPANY 

LONDON : METHUEN & CO. 

1908 



T: 



ft 



TO 

MY FRIEND 
ZSOMBOR DE SZASZ 

WITHOUT WHOSE AID AND COUNSEL 

MUCH OF THIS COULD NEVER HAVE 

BEEN WRITTEN 



PREFACE 

HE task of writing something about 
"Hungary and the Hungarians" has 
been a very pleasant one. For years past I 
have felt that the Hungarian point of view 
ought to be presented to English readers in a 
picturesque form, and with this aim I send my 
impressions and opinions into the great critical 
world, conscious of many defects, but convinced 
that both English and Magyar alike will not 
charge me with being afraid to express myself. 

The unbounded hospitality of the Magyars, 
and their almost over-accentuated desire to 
appear to advantage before Englishmen, has not 
blinded me to their defects, and, as far as I have 
been able to distinguish such, I have unsparingly 
criticised them. Everything has been done to 
enable me to see the country and the people as 
they really are, to travel at will the length and 
breadth of the land, and to have intercourse with 
representatives of every social and political grade. 
For much of this I am deeply indebted to Count 



viii HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Albert Affonyi, the present Minister of Education 
and Religion, and M. Francis Kossuth, the 
Minister of Commerce. Both have been most 
kind, considerate, and helpful. Throughout the 
book one will find many apparent mistakes in 
spelling, but most of these have been left in to 
preserve the euphony of the sentence, and also 
that visitors who may chance to bring the 
volume to Hungary with them may find the 
expressions in their native form, just as 
Hungfarians would use them. This I have 
particularly tried to accomplish in relation to 
names of places and persons. Furthermore, by 
way of explanation, the volume is not only about 
" Hungary and the Hungarians," but some idea, 
I hope, may be gleaned of the many nationalities 
inhabiting Hungary. Many things doubtless 
are missing, but I have attempted to outline those 
features that naturally come up for consideration 
during travel, and to explain and answer some of 
the questions a visitor is likely to ask. 

My thanks are also due to the directors of the 
Magyar Kiralyi Folyam es Tengerhajozasi 
Reszvenytdrsasay and the Erste K. K. priv. 
Donau-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft for their 
continued kindnesses in allowing me to explore 
the far reaches of the Danube. To Mr. Eugene 



PREFACE ix 

Golonya, Konyves Kalman Magyar Miikiado 
Reszv. Tdrs, and V. Hornyanszky for the right 
to produce several of the illustrations. There is 
also a large crowd of people who have ministered 
to my needs, many of their names have amid the 
general rush and v/orry of publication escaped me, 
but the memory of the deed remains, and it is to 
these I desire to express my deepest gratitude. 

W. B. F. B. 

Budapest 



CONTENTS 



CHAP. PAGE 

PREFACE . . . . . . . vii 

INTRODUCTION . . . . . .XV 

I. THE GLOWING PAST ..... I 

II. MODERN HUNGARY . . . . .24 

III. THE CARPATHIANS AND ITS PEOPLES . . 40 

IV. WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS . . . .56- 
V. ON THE GREAT PLAIN . . . . •75 

VI. BUDAPEST AND ART . . . . • 9^ 

VII. BUDAPEST AS IT IS . . . . . I09 

VIII, LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE . . . .12$ 

IX. POLITICS AND POLITICIANS .... I46 

X. TRANSYLVANIA AND THE TRANSYLVANIANS . . 166 

XI. SZ^KLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS . . 185 

XII. THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC . . . 204 

XIII. CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS . . . 222 

XIV. CUSTOMS, COSTUMES, AND CHARACTER . . 239 
XV. MUSIC AND SONG IN HUNGARY . . -255 

XVI. HUNGARY'S POLITICAL RELATION TO AUSTRIA . 27 1 

XVII. THE DANUBE ...... 280 

XVIII. AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE . . .297 

XIX. FROM BEATEN TRACKS . . . . • 3^5 

XX. THE FUTURE OF HUNGARY . . • -335 

INDEX ....... 349 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

IN COLOUR 
THE PALACE OF THE KING— FROM PEST . . Frontispiece 

LAKE CSORBA IN THE CARPATHIANS . • Facing p. 44 

SLOVAK PEASANT OF THE tXtRA, NORTHERN 

HUNGARY . . . . • j> 54 

EVENING IN BUDA . . • • • jj 9° 
THE CORSO, BUDAPEST. (OUTSIDE THE HUNGARIA 

HOTEL) . . . . • • » no 
FARM-FOLK RETURNING FROM MORNING MARKET, 

KOLOZSVAR, TRANSYLVANIA . . . „ 166 ' 

TRANSYLVANIAN PEASANTS, KOLOZSvXr , . „ 1 82 

NIGHT IN A GIPSY CAMP , . . . „ 2o8 ' 
STREET SCENE IN POZSONY LEADING TO THE OLD 

CASTLE ....... 212 

MARKET-FOLK, NEAR zAgRAB, CROATIA . . „ 236 
NIGHT ON THE DANUBE, LOOKING TOWARDS BUDA „ ^^0 ' 
MARIA THERESA'S CASTLE, POZSONY . . „ 280 
ON THE DANUBE NEAR VISEGRAD . . . „ 288 
A FARMHOUSE NEAR PECS, TRANS-DANUBIAN HUN- 
GARY ,.....„ 302 

BEHIND THE TOWN OF PECS , . . „ 326 

TYPE OF SOUTHERN HUNGARIAN . . . „ 334 



xiv HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 



IN MONOTONE 



MAP FROM A DRAWING BY B. C. BOULTER . 
BUDAPEST ...... 

From a Photograph by R. Lechner, Vienna. 

THEBEN ...... 

From a Photograph by The Photochrome Co. 

HUNGARIAN GIPSIES ON HORSEBACK 

From the Painting by Carl Steffeck By permission 
of the Berhn Photographic Co. ) 

A CASTLE ON THE DANUBE . . . . 

From a Photograph by The Photochrome Co. 

THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, BUDAPEST . 
From a Photograph by R. Lechner, Vienna. 

A TRANSYLVANIAN MARKET PLACE — NAGY-VARAD 
From a Photograph by The Photochrome Co. 

NAGY-SZEBEN ..... 
From a Photograph by The Photochrome Co, 

THE MARKET PLACE, zAgRAB 

From a Photograph by The Photochrome Co. 

ORSOVA ..... 

From a Photograph by The Photochrome Co. 

THE AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM, BUDAPEST . 
From a Photograph by R. Lechner, Vienna. 

A TOWN ON THE DANUBE 

From a Photograph by The Photochrome Co. 

FIUME ...... 

From a Photograph by The Photochrome Co. 



Front cover 
Facing p. i ' 



76 

130 

146 

172 ■ 

192 

228 

282 

298 

312 

330 



INTRODUCTION 

' ' The use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality, and 
instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are." 

Dr. Johnson 

TO start out for a long holiday in a country and 
then to settle down there is sufficient proof of 
the enchanting qualities of scene and character resident 
therein. To see the initial sights as one of an 
organised crowd is one thing, and to revisit and re- 
see them alone, amid the blessed silence of one's own 
irresistible self, is quite another thing. 

No country demands individual attention more than 
Hungary, and perhaps no country has suffered the 
lack of individual attention more than Hungary. 
Leaving as I did, or at least thought I did, Teuton 
influences behind me at Oderberg, I entered the 
picturesque land of the Three Mountains and the Four 
Rivers from the Carpathian side, and beheld im- 
mediately something of its unique glory, whilst I 
caught at once the subtle, lurking spirit of the 
mosaiced nationalities packed away there amongst 
the simple hill folk. Without imagination and bereft 
of that peculiar capacity of rapid acclimatisation, only 
a very meagre idea of the Magyar character can be 
obtained. There is a psychological moment for 



xvi HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

entering a country, which if neglected leaves one cold 
and cheerless, reducing man's supremest efforts to 
soulless clay. In Hungary everything demands 
atmosphere and temperament. There is so much to 
be accounted for, to be forgiven, and to be overlooked. 
It sounds an obvious truism applicable to all nations, 
but the possibility of error usurping the place of truth, 
when truth and good feeling is intended, is, alas ! so 
often the result of a rigorous application of Western 
ideas to the actions of a race just emerging from the 
influence of the Orient. Hungary is no emporium 
of the so-called Western blessings, economics, or 
progress. Neither is it devoid of the capacity for 
such ; and though preserving its own peculiar national 
features or character, it nevertheless does not scorn to 
borrow where borrowing contributes to value. 

It is a land of surprises. In its politics, its com- 
merce, and its social life the element of contradiction 
and surprise looms largely. Let this be counted for 
righteousness and all will be well, but leave no margin 
for imagination, and bitter disappointment will ruin 
the best intentions of the most kindly disposed visitor. 
It is old yet remarkably juvenile, primitive and yet 
in many ways up to date. The clashing contrasts of 
the land are confounding. As soon as you enter the 
country you are told that " the Hungarian never 
forgets " ; this is perfectly true, but it sometimes takes 
him a lifetime to remember. It would be better to 
say, " The Hungarian never hurries." There is an 
artistic lethargy in his nature which sometimes irritates 



INTRODUCTION xvii 

the Westerner. A kind of sublime inertia encompasses 
him which allows him to put off till to-morrow what 
could have been very well done to-day. O Pro- 
crastination, thou thief of opportunity ! I soon found 
out that the Oriental conception of time was prevalent, 
that what was meant was " more or less." Hungary 
is practically unknown. Few indeed could state her 
geographical boundaries, or give their countrymen a 
correct idea of the Magyars, their language, literature, 
and customs. 

In the realm of misconceptions Hungary is a great 
sufferer. The French writers describe the Magyars 
as ces peuples slaves. Many English readers retain the 
idea that the Magyars, as a Viennese correspondent 
once called them, " the paprika-fed Magyars',^ are still 
savages, dangerous to meet and impossible to under- 
stand. Hungary being slightly beyond the touring 
area, this conception lives. Neither will geographical 
books help one very much. Take, for instance, those 
geographical readers in use in the schools of the 
Hungarian nationalities — on home ground, so to speak. 
Here you find the Saxon and Roumanian completely 
out of harmony with the idea of the unity of the 
Hungarian State. In most of the Saxon schools 
Austria and Hungary are huddled together and 
surrounded by the same geographical boundary line. 
If you consult a Roumanian geography, you will find 
Transylvania separated from Hungary, and Roumanian 
names given to the counties, towns, villages, and rivers. 
In one Roumanian book I found Debreczen called the 



xviii HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

capital of the so-called Kriscana. Could anything be 
more absurd ? In another Roumanian book appears 
the following astounding assertion : " In the middle 
of Europe lies Austria- Hungary, the capital of which 
is Vienna." It is difficult to estimate the evil done 
by such misstatements as these. In his SUidies on 
Homer Mr. Gladstone says : " When long established 
falsehoods have had habitual and undisturbed posses- 
sion of the public mind, they form an atmosphere 
which we inhale long before consciousness begins. 
Hence the spurious colours with which we have thus 
been surreptitiously imbued long survive the power, 
or even the act, of recurrence to the original standards." 
What is known best in England is founded, I fear, on 
" long established falsehoods," and the public mind 
dislikes being disturbed. 

In Servian books one is taught that " every land in 
which Servians live is a Servian land," consequently 
Bacs county, belonging to Hungary, where many^ 
Servians reside, is Servian land. In German readers 
Hungary is designated as " East Austria," and Buda- 
pest described as consisting of two parts, " one of 
which, Buda, is the town of Austrian or German 
officers and soldiers." French books speak of Croatia 
and Transylvania as distinct and separate States, 
Dutch books treat Hungary as if it were an inseparable 
part of Austria, and in Spain one reads that "the 
Austrian Empire is divided into seventeen provinces ; 
one of these is Hungary, and another Transylvania, 
each of them having its own capital." In some of the 



INTRODUCTION xix 

Swiss books it is the " Empire Austria- Hungary " 
that is described, with an " Imperial Ministry " and 
various provinces governed by " Imperial Governors." 
Russia for the most part is correct, though some 
districts of Northern Hungary are labelled " Red 
Russia." In the spring of last year one of the most 
eminent Hungarian publicists arrived at Malta, and 
was of course asked to state his place of residence ; 
on replying that he came from Budapest, he was at 
once entered as an " Austrian " subject. Despite re- 
peated remonstrances, he remained an Austrian subject. 
Often letters from distinguished writers in England 
have reached me addressed " Budapesth, Austria." 
Why not " Budapest, Hungary " ? To this very day the 
wrappers of one of the leading London dailies arrive 
addressed " Budapest, Austria," to which the coffeehouse- 
boy invariably murmurs, " S zenitelenseg ! " which is to be 
interpreted " Impudence ! " Even Mr. Gladstone in his 
famous Wirral speech spoke of " Austria's emancipation 
of Hungary." Surely the great Liberal statesman 
overlooked the fact that Austria did not create 
Hungary as it now exists, but Hungary practically 
created constitutional Austria. This torrent of com- 
plaints met me soon after my arrival, and though it 
failed to seriously arrest the attention of my English 
companions, I must confess that it led to a resolve 
on my part to probe if possible the underlying causes 
of Magyar discontent, and to find out how far they 
themselves had been responsible for it. It remains 
embedded in the mind of the Hungarian that the 



XX HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

world is against him in his great national and indi- 
vidual struggle. 

" You only know us," said a very distinguished 
Hungarian traveller to me one day, " through the 
medium of the German language, and even then you 
know not the best about us. Our great rulers and 
literary forces you in England do not even know the 
names of, and you imagine that gipsies, Kossuth, 
music, wine, and Jokai are all we have produced." 
How very true ! But why is Hungary misunderstood ? 
I must confess that in some cases misunderstanding is 
wilful. There are also racial, geographical, and political 
reasons. 

Misinterpretation and misunderstanding have, I fear, 
now degenerated into mere political barter and loss. 
Hungary at least understands the truth of the statement 
that indefinite definitions are long-lived because they 
possess political value. But one of the chief reasons 
adducible is the individualistic and often conservative 
ideas of the Hungarians. There is now no one 
great national aim upon which the entire nation is 
united and to which it works. The ubiquitous Jew, 
with that instinctive virtue of his, has captured the 
commerce of Hungary. Politically he is a wobbler, 
party considerations having little weight where the 
question of dividends enter. In 1848 a definite and 
distinct aim existed, ambition has since then largely 
become individual. Politicians sincere and insincere 
have their own little hobbies. The difficulty, however, 
commences when they imagine that Hungary is the 



INTRODUCTION xxi 

world and that outside are only resident those who 
in the scale of importance do not count. There is a 
tendency to exaggerate the place they occupy amongst 
the nations on the part of most Hungarians, and conse- 
quently a depreciation of the forces of resistance which 
must necessarily be encountered in the march towards 
the ideal. Hence the Anglo-Saxon may often find in 
that almost strident accent of infallibility which in- 
variably preludes some great national crisis in politics, 
an obstacle to understanding rather than an adjunct. 
The temptation to live amongst the many heroes of 
the past, to gloat over the Golden Age of Matthias, 
to revel in the doughty deeds of Rakoczy li., and to 
sing the captivating Kurucz songs, is but one part of 
life, and that not an over important one. " Hungary 
has not been, it is to coined When such is the motto 
of the nation, then the parochialism prevalent to-day 
will vanish, and the firm establishment of Hungary 
amongst the nations will really commence. The 
Hungarians are the most bewildering, fascinating, and 
hospitable race in Europe I have ever met, but to know 
what they are going to do next is to assume the office 
of the seer. 



. . • . Let us sit upon the ground 

And tell sad stories of the death of kings : 

How some have been deposed ; some slain in war ; 

Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed ; 

Some poison'd by their wives ; some sleeping kill'd. 



HUNGARY AND THE 



CHAPTER I 
THE GLOWING PAST 

"The time has come, the Walrus said, 
To talk of many things : 
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing wax — 
Of cabbages— and kings." — Lewis Carroll 

THE Magyar enjoys retrospect. The songs of 
to-day are unsung ; the books of to-day remain 
unread ; the men of to-day, save in the arena of 
poHtics, are unknown. My dear old Hungarian host 
away in the Carpathians, how he delighted in sitting 
on the balcony those wonderful autumn evenings and 
speaking of the dead heroes of his land ! At that 
moment the past had no fascination for me. I was a 
mere lounger in the land. Even the present — that out 
of which the future would be made — only concerned me 
but little. It is true there were vague questionings, 
and a desire to see the natural beauties of the land, 
but the seriousness of study had not fallen upon me 
then. Notwithstanding this absence of seriousness, I 
felt peculiarly amenable to impressions. The scent 



2 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

of those stately pines, the wild untaught song of the 
Tot servant as she gave liberty to her emotions and 
allowed the historic episode she perchance had dreamt 
of to find suitable expressive notes, the awful silence 
of the Carpathians and the unique charm of my 
environment, all these lifted me at this moment of 
my sojourn in Hungary high above the bickerings 
of the time-serving politicians residing in Budapest. 
It was atmosphere I was looking for, and it was 
atmosphere that I found. But, as my host reminded 
me on one occasion, when I had displayed some signs 
of distress during a long harangue on the virtues of 
the Matthias period, the present was made out of the 
past, and I must learn all about it. Now I realise the 
many lost opportunities, the many notes I might 
have taken, and the many stones I ought to have 
remembered. He was a genuine Hungarian this host 
of mine. Retrospect was his virtue — and vice. In 
him memory became an organised agency against 
inexactitudes. His first words as I recall them now 
were these : — 

" Banish from your mind everything that you have 
ever heard about my country, its history and its 
politics, and let me give you my view. Make as many 
notes as you will, and in a year's time, when perhaps 
you can speak our language, talk with others, and then 
winnow the wheat from the chaff." 

But there was little chaff to be winnowed, though it 
was hard sometimes to part with pet theories and 
ideas encrusted with ignorance and believed to be 
truth. My dear old friend could teach history as I 
had never been taught it before. I could almost hear 
the thin, insistent tones of the prophets of the past, 
men whom few regarded it as worth their while to 



THE GLOWING PAST 3 

listen to. Sometimes a group of men would concern 
us, and so close did we get to them that one almost 
caught the warmth of their breath. One afternoon a 
single historic figure stepped down from the High 
Tatra unattended, with none of the mustiness of the 
tomb about him, stepped down to retell the story of 
courage and sacrifice. Man in his varied r61es of bene- 
factor and destroyer was portrayed, until one realised 
fully what G. M. Trevelyan calls the " Poetry of Time." 

Whence came this strange company of warriors ? 
Opinion even now is very divided upon this question. 
Some say the Magyars are the descendants of the 
Scythians who before 884 were satisfied with the 
quietude of the borders of the Caspian Sea. Others 
assert that they are a Finnish-Ugrian tribe who 
formerly inhabited Central Asia, and who, of a fighting, 
roving nature, entered Hungary by the pass of 
Vereczke, in the north-east of the Carpathians, more 
than a thousand years ago. Even the late Count Eugene 
Zichy, though he undertook an expedition of discovery 
to Central Asia, was unable to adequately satisfy the 
critics as to the origin of his race. There is a hypo- 
thetical uncertainty about the birth and parentage of 
these Constitutional Magyars. But whatever obscurity 
concerning their origin may exist even to-day, one 
thing history has made exceedingly plain, viz., that 
by the end of the eleventh century Hungary had so 
developed both materially and morally that it was able to 
take a commanding position amongst the independent 
States of Europe. 

Professor Vambery, as the result of much research, 
has satisfied himself as to the Turkish nationality 
of Arpad and his companions; whilst the historian 
Ranke declared that the Magyars overrunning 



4 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Hungary at the close of the ninth century were 
really Turks. The story of the " coming of 
Arpad " is not without its elements of romance. How 
real it was all made to me by so many! I could 
almost see this mass of humanity being swept as it 
were against its will from the basin of the Lower Irtis 
and Ural rivers Westward ; ever subjected to the 
privations, to the calamities consequent upon nomadic 
pursuits ; and at last overtaken and stricken by the 
birth-pain of a new ambition, the ache of aspiration 
and conquest. 

A halt was called somewhere between the Pruth, 
Sereth, and the Dniester. Here the wanderers rested 
a while, whilst the chiefs of the seven tribes not only 
united under one Prince, but gave evidence of a 
recognition of the value of federation. Arpad, long 
regarded as a compendium of wisdom, was elected 
Prince, and this son of Almos was raised on a shield 
whilst the seven chiefs of the tribes allowed themselves 
to be robbed of some blood, which was placed in a 
common vessel, thus sanctioning by the Eastern blood- 
covenant the election and federation. Thus was it 
that Hungary's first constitutional Prince was elected. 
The founding of a kingdom, however, was left to one 
Vajk, a successor of Arpads, who, embracing Christi- 
anity, at once sought to Christianise his followers. On 
his conversion Vajk took the name of Stephen, and 
was rewarded by being created a saint by Pope 
Sylvester il. Thus came the title of " Apostolic 
King." If Hungary has sometimes forgotten to erect 
monuments to her illustrious sons, her noble line of 
kings have not been neglected, and St. Stephen is an 
unforgettable name. It is difficult to appreciate fully 
the material out of which he built up so strong a 



THE GLOWING PAST 5 

kingdom. There was that nomadic, roving instinct 
which dethrones development and retards progress, 
whilst the warlike tendencies of the followers of Arpad 
were not conducive to a cultivation of the " arts of 
peace." But, as my old friend of the hills told me, the 
rough edge had been taken off these traits, and the 
Christianising influence of St. Stephen himself did the 
rest. It was an important epoch in history, because 
not merely the spirit, but in many cases the form of 
St. Stephen's ecclesiastical administration remains the 
same in Hungary even to-day. Order and prosperity 
thus rose from the ashes of chaos and failure. 
Christianity was, however, soon called upon to defend 
its title, for an outburst of pagan feeling followed the 
death of St. Stephen ; but though priests were severely 
persecuted and churches razed to the ground, the 
success of the disturbing elements was only of a 
temporary nature. 

Ladislaus the Saint, who succeeded Bela I., is re- 
garded in literature as the " beau ideal of Hungarian 
heroism and courtesy." His reign was rendered 
interesting by his attempted organisation of Croatia 
and the founding of the bishopric of Zagrab. This 
work was excellently supplemented by Konyves 
Kalman (Koloman the Studious), who conquered what 
was known as mediaeval Croatia, and carried the sub- 
jected territory to the seacoast, and thus brought 
many Dalmatian cities under subjection. It will be 
useful to remember — for the Croatian Question is 
eternally present in every epoch — that from this 
period Croatia has been an integral part of Hungary. 
The King, however, had his little foibles, for after 
massacring a host of crusading emigrants in 1096, he 
successfully stopped all prosecutions for witchcraft, 



6 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

straining his kingly prerogative and knowledge by 
declaring the non-existence of witches. Meanwhile, 
unconsciously to all, a new epoch in history was 
dawning. The dark period through which the nation 
had passed, the main product of which had been the 
development of administrative organisation, was ending, 
and the birth-joy of a new hope encompassed the 
Magyars. Endre II., Hke his English prototype John, 
was a weak king. Ambition aftd avarice brought both 
to the feet of the nation. Singularly enough, both 
held strong religious tendencies and an overweening 
ambition to figure prominently in the religious world, 
for Rome at this period was dominated by that master 
craftsman Innocent III. The Pope wanted more help 
in the Crusades, and the price of Innocent's support 
to Endre in his contest with the people was a promise 
to aid Catholicism in the East. Endre by craft and 
subterfuge collected men and money, and even suc- 
ceeded in having himself crowned King of Jerusalem, 
but in the meantime he lost his grip of the country, 
and returning found it now beyond his grasp. In 
1222 (exact date unknown) he found himself with a 
few hired fighting men behind him confronted by all 
the best elements of national life, headed by the heir to 
the throne. Thus the weakling, bowing to necessity 
and cowed by desertions, called the Diet together and 
granted the Bulla Aurea. This was not the end but 
the beginning of national struggle. It is worth noting 
that this Hungarian Magna Carta has only been sub- 
jected to two changes. Firstly, Louis the Great in 
1 3 5 I omitted Article v., which deprived the nobility 
of their right of making a will in defence of male 
heirs; whilst the second change came in 1687, when 
Article XXXI. was deleted, an article which sanctioned 



THE GLOWING PAST 7 

the ultima ratio of armed resistance " and gave such 
a revolutionary character to the Charter." Ever since, 
the Bulla Aurea has formed an integral part of the 
Coronation oath. There comes an end even to weak- 
ness. Bela IV. sought to rule in 1244. Much trouble 
had been nursed up for him by the Mongols, who 
commenced to overrun the land again. In vain did 
he beseech his neighbours help him disperse them. 
Even the Austrian Duke Frederic of Badenberg, with 
whom he was supposed to be on friendly relations, not 
only refused to aid him, but robbed the Queen of her 
jewels when she fled to him for safety, and finally 
occupied a part of Hungary. Those were the good 
old land-grabbing days. Bela IV., however, was not 
devoid of qualities, and, roused by the ingratitude of 
his neighbours, sought to utilise his own skill and 
power in restoring his kingdom. Such a task 
demanded infinite patience and a stout heart. In 
many respects he succeeded, but at a great personal 
cost. It was during the reign of Bela IV. that human 
flesh was sold for food, probably during the famine 
caused by the devastating plague of locusts which 
followed on the heels of one of the Mongol invasions. 
One of the practical ideas of Bela IV. was to introduce 
German colonists to make up the deficiency caused by 
the massacres of the Mongols. It must also be 
remembered that Hungary paid its first blood-tax to 
the House of Habsburg at this period, supporting as 
they did Emperor Rudolf against the Bohemians. 

With the decease of Endre III. in 1301 the male 
ruling line of the House of Arpad became extinct. 
Hungary now became a factor in international politics. 
Monarch vied with monarch for Hungary, and after 
many vicissitudes the Neapolitan family of Anjou was 



8 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

introduced in the person of Charles Robert of Anjou 
(1308—42). To no small degree he proved an 
excellent ruler ; bringing as he did the nation into 
contact with Italian culture, he thus placed it on a 
level with Western civilisation. His son Louis, who 
succeeded him in 1342, possessed many of the 
qualities of a great ruler : 

"The more you took from him the greater he appeared." 

One of his first acts was to march on Naples, 
capture the city, and punish the murderers of 
his brother. To permanently hold the city be- 
came an impossibility. His influence on the nobles 
was beneficent. Recognising that military service de- 
pended upon them, he strove to improve their material 
condition. One tax, not perhaps very popular at 
first, the tax of a ninth which vassals must contri- 
bute of their total fruit and wine crops to the lord of 
the manor, was finally willingly paid by all. In all 
his enterprises he was gallantly supported by the 
nobles. They helped him to humble Venice and 
recapture Dalmatia. It was during the reign of Louis 
the Great that the Eastern Question began to disturb 
European chancellories. Another of his achievements 
was to subjugate Bulgaria, and make Widdin the 
direct property of Hungary. It may be said that 
from this juncture Hungary became the sentinel of 
Western civilisation against the Turk. Louis reigned 
forty years, and the nation enjoyed exceptional 
prosperity. Sad to relate, his death marks the period 
of national decline. Zsigmond of Luxembourg suc- 
ceeded him, and was considered by some to be a man 
of great force, seeing that he was also Emperor of 
Germany and Rome. His first encounter with the 



THE GLOWING PAST 9 

Turks in the spring of 1396 at Buda revealed 
the cowardly, craven heart of the man, for his 
30,000 troops were for the most part routed owing 
to his temerity in action. Neither was he able to 
suppress the Bohemian ravages in Northern Hungary. 
Fortunately for the nation, a man of rich qualities 
rose to influence and power in the person of John 
Hunyadi. Truly was he called a pillar of the House 
of Jagello. Chiefly owing to Hunyadi's genius, 
the Sultan Murad begged for a peace of ten years, 
which both Parliament and King accepted. For no 
apparent cause, Ladislaus broke his oath, and when 
the Pope attacked the Porte, Cardinal Julian was sent 
to urge the King to a new war. On November 10, 
1444, the Hungarians were deserted by their Italian 
allies at Varna, Ladislaus was killed in battle, and the 
Hungarians defeated. Hunyadi, however, escaped, 
and his fiery genius averted a total national disaster. 
Bent upon revenge, he enrolled an army at his own 
expense, and, aided by the eloquence of a monk named 
John Capistran, marched on Belgrade, and there 
annihilated the besieging Turks. Pestilence overtook 
this brave man in 1456, and he died, leaving two sons 
behind, the elder of which the King ordered to 
be executed, whilst the younger son — Matthias — he 
carried with him prisoner to Prague. The death of 
the King broke the bonds that bound the young 
Matthias Hunyadi, and, returning to his native land, he 
was placed upon the vacant throne. The reign of 
Matthias Corvinus covered thirty-two years. It was 
a period of unrest and accomplishment. War followed 
war, success inspired success. He captured Vienna, 
but, before doing so, routed the Turks at Kenyermezo, 
and defeated Podiebrad of Bohemia. The instinct of 



lo HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

generalship burned fiercely within him, and he created 
the celebrated " Black Band " of infantry. Organisa- 
tion in him became almost a craze, but that it worked 
well for the nation is seen in the fact that he suc- 
ceeded in making himself independent of the narrow, 
selfish aristocracy of the day. His ambition was to 
base his empire upon the lower nobility, and thus 
raise a new aristocracy. Such was his influence and 
gifts, that it was called " the Golden Age." He 
loved his people, was a great legislator, a munificent 
patron of the arts, and a great judge. Even to-day 
one occasionally comes into contact with the motto, 
" Matthias is dead : there is no more justice." It 
seemed on the decease of Matthias that the nobility, 
weary of an energetic king, desired a respite. 
Ladislaus of Bohemia, who now assumed kingship, 
was a mere shadow of his predecessor. Absolutely 
indifferent to the dignity of the crown and the vital 
interests of the nation, his main achievement was that 
of always purchasing peace under shameful conditions. 
Naturally under such a ruler the country went to ruin. 
The imposition of heavy burdens upon the vassals led 
to a peasants' revolt, and ended in Zapolyai of Szepes, 
a great landowner, heading a movement which at the 
death of the King made him Regent. Domestic 
disorders and Turkish troubles were the characteristics 
of the reign of Lajos II. Solymon the Great took 
advantage of the inertia of Lajos II., and on August 
29, 1526, came the calamity of Mohacs. The 
Hungarians were overwhelmed, and Lajos killed in the 
act of retreating ; consequently the Turkish leader took 
Buda without opposition. After devastating the land, 
Solymon left in October. Following the departure of 
the Turks, Hungary was honoured by having two 



THE GLOWING PAST ii 

kings. The Parliament of Sz6kesfehervar crowned 
John Zapolyai King ; whilst during the closing days 
of 1526, Ferdinand, brother of Charles v., was chosen 
King. It has rightly been described as a period of 
political fluctuation. 

In the summer of 1527, Ferdinand was crowned at 
Buda, driving all opponents of such an act to Poland. 
The position, however, was a difficult one to hold, for 
John Zapolyai returned, and, aided by Solyman, his 
claim was regarded as most secure. French politics 
also at this epoch did something to undermine the 
power of the Habsburgs, and thus Solyman was 
encouraged to contemplate a second march on Vienna. 
His efforts, however, were frustrated by Nicholas 
Jurisics. In nine years Buda again suffered from 
Turkish occupation. Internal development under such 
conditions of national life was practically impossible. 
Kingly caprice repeatedly sacrificed the national 
well-being to a personal whim. A kindly Providence, 
however, gave Hungary from time to time a noble 
array of commoners, literary statesmen, and warriors. 
Pen and sword were often allies. Just as another 
such man was needed, Nicholas Zrinyi appeared. 
What a crowd of stories my old friend of the hills told 
me of Zrinyi, But of Zrinyi, more in another chapter. 
Towards the end of the sixteenth century the two great 
controversies were the prerogative of the nobility, and 
the religious question. This latter was natural for 
Mohacs, and the Turkish hegemony considerably 
weakened the ancient organisation of the Catholic 
Church, whilst the spirit of the Reformation stirred 
the burgesses of the towns, creating an unrest which 
bore no good. Protestantism even at this time was 
not a force to be lightly pushed aside. Melancholy 



12 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

King Rudolf wilfully tampered with the laws, and 
introduced a clause empowering him to arrest wealthy 
magnates on the most ridiculous of charges, and by 
such means secure their property. By force he 
deprived the Protestants of their cathedral at Kassa. 
Order under such conditions became an impossibility. 
The occasion demanded a new force or figure, and 
Bocskay, that stout defender of Protestantism, made 
his entrance. Owing to the intervention of Bocskay, 
the Protestants received complete religious freedom 
and unconditional permission to practise their faith 
without interference. Protestantism fought valiantly 
for its existence, and Bocskay with Bethlen Gabor 
did much to stave off the extermination movement. 
Transylvania had now reached the height of its glory, 
and Bethlen Gabor was the greatest of its princes. 
He was contemporaneous with Cromwell, was a 
staunch Calvinist, a successful general, a man of the 
most determined resolution and untiring energy. 
Many of his habits have been styled Puritan, and he 
would have presented a fine figure in fustian. He 
composed Psalms which were sung in the churches, 
and rumour hath it that he had read his Bible through 
twenty times. His two constant aims were the 
banishment of the Jesuits from Transylvania, and 
the securing of the rights of the Protestants. The 
part that he played in the Thirty Years' War gave an 
European importance to Transylvania. It was impossible 
to heal the divisions of Christendom by force, and 
Transylvania knew it perhaps better than many 
larger States in Europe. Bethlen Gabor was followed 
by George Rak6czy, who was a man of peace, but 
who willingly took up arms in the Protestant interest, 
and allied himself with the Swedes. Gloomy days 



THE GLOWING PAST 13 

were in store for Protestantism, for Leopold I. declared 
his object to be to " impoverish, enslave, and re- 
catholicise Hungary." His treatment of the Protestants 
was disgraceful, and led to a plot to break with the 
House of Habsburg ; the ringleaders of the conspiracy, 
however, were discovered, and for years the hangman 
was busy. The Viennese Court in revenge tried to 
utilise the occasion, and attempted to destroy the 
constitution of Transylvania. Constitutions, like 
monarchs, are not often killed by hard names. At 
Pozsony Protestant persecution was so rigorously 
conducted by the Viennese Court, that the fate of 
the victims awakened European sympathy. The 
principle of " forcible conversion " failed, and Holland 
sent out Admiral de Ruyter to free those sent as 
galley slaves. 

Thokoly and the Kurucz (fugitives) almost captured 
Vienna, for he was supported by the Sultan, and this 
Protestant uprising was one of the most successful of 
the period. Leopold, seeking the aid of Sobieski of 
Poland and others, then fell upon the Turks and 
overwhelmed them, and from this point their influence 
begins to wane in Hungary. One of the remarkable 
features of Hungarian history is the rallying capacity 
of the nation. A stupid blunder, scarcity of troops, it 
mattered but little the cause of the defeat, what was of 
real moment was the assurance that the nation would 
soon be " up and at 'em " again. Even history, it is 
said, has its dull moments, but Hungarian history is 
surprisingly scant in this direction. The nation settled 
down in 1687 to the idea of legalised succession in 
the male line of the House of Habsburg. Many 
since have called it a mental lapse. Perhaps the 
people were again tired out and desired peace at any 



14 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

price. Or, better still, were contemplating an uprising 
which in a short time would undo the wrongs of past 
days. Less than twenty years elapsed ere the great 
outbreak of the common people stirred the very 
foundations of the House of Habsburg, and struck 
with despair the hearts of its supporters. Who has not 
heard of Rakoczy II. ? His history was as exciting as 
it was possible. Born the first son of his father, who 
died in a dungeon, he was carried from Transylvania 
to Austria to be educated under the influence of the 
Jesuit priests of Prague. His father, who had been 
a co-conspirator with Wessel^nyi, had his estates 
confiscated, but these were returned to his son on his 
marriage. The freedom of the young Prince was only 
short-lived, for Leopold I., afraid that Rakoczy would 
ferment the hostile spirits of the Hungarians, ordered 
him back to Austria, from whence he escaped to 
Poland. Here one day he was surprised in his 
solitude by receiving a deputation of North Hungarian 
peasantry, who pleaded with him to place himself at 
the head of the peasants of his Fatherland against the 
yoke of the Austrian. He did so, but not before 
securing the support of France and Poland. Issuing 
a national manifesto, the whole nation drew to his 
side. All the enemies of Austria supported the rising, 
and Rakoczy was chosen to command the combined 
forces. Success in dainty gown came out to meet 
him, and he was crowned Prince of Transylvania. On 
May 31, 1707, Leopold was forced to proclaim the 
independence of Hungary. It was a war of liberty, 
and thus far the common people had won. In all 
such successes one may find the germs of disaster 
and defeat. The moderates left his side to treat 
with Austria, an action which led to the Peace of 



THE GLOWING PAST 15 

Szatmdr (171 1), with which Rakoczy was dissatisfied; 
consequently he withdrew to a foreign land. First 
Paris sheltered him, and finally Turkey, where he was 
ministered to by some kind-hearted priests until the 
end came. The element of tragedy is seen in the 
fact that he died and was buried in an alien land, 
though his ashes now rest at Kassa. This practically 
closes the era of civil wars. It may be that Rakoczy 
and his movement came a trifle too late, and this 
accounts for his apparent lack of success. It is not 
to be doubted that at this juncture the nation was 
exhausted. 

The reign of Charles III. was short but striking. 
Firstly, there was the organisation of a standing 
Hungarian army, to be fed by recruiting agencies ; 
secondly, Parliament expressed its willingness that 
succession should be entailed in the female line of 
the Habsburgs ; whilst finally, what is known as the 
Pragmatic Sanction, the first constitution-like alliance 
between the patrimony of the Habsburgs and the 
kingdom of Hungary, received parliamentary con- 
sent. The weakness of the Pragmatic Sanction is that 
a principle only is expressed, and not the manner 
of its relationship, consequently violent constitutional 
conflicts ensued. The gift of Charles III. to Hungarian 
rule was Maria Theresa, who was nobly defended by 
the nation against her neighbours. Several educational 
changes were introduced. The University was trans- 
planted from Nagyszombat to Buda. A law faculty 
and schools was founded, middle schools formed, and 
she — the Queen — applied the entire wealth of the 
suppressed Jesuit order to the cause of education, 
regulated agrarian matters for the benefit of vassals, 
and commenced a system of better water-supply and 



1 6 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

road-making. Joseph, her son, possessed the kingly- 
grace of tactlessness, but to some degree furthered the 
reforms of his mother. His gift was autocratic rule, 
and he refused to be crowned. With a waywardness 
that brought its own revenge, he made German the 
official language. His tactlessness robbed his reign of 
usefulness, and towards its close he revoked most of 
the measures which contained the germ of national 
well-being. During the two years' reign of Leopold II. 
the unity between crown and nation was restored. It 
has often been asked, How far did the spirit of the 
French Revolution penetrate into Hungary ? The 
answer is written with the iron of suffering upon the 
pages of history of the reign of Francis I. Whenever 
it appeared and whoever championed it, it was 
suppressed with cruel vigour by the Government. 
Nearly all the literary world was thrown into prison, 
but the whole country became imbued with French 
ideas. When Napoleon called in 1809 to Hungary 
to recover her political independence and select a new 
king, the idea fell flat. Leopold during the Napoleonic 
wars simply played at constitutionalism, but when 
the dangers consequent upon the activity of " the 
incomparable Corsican " were passed, he revealed 
himself in his true character, suspending the Diet, and 
levying taxes and troops at will. One of the most 
fascinating epochs now dawns. National consciousness 
awakened, intellectual and material needs were easily 
recognised. The spirit of reform was in the air. 
Neither was the country bereft of the essential man. 
In looking over the achievements of Count Stephen 
Szechenyi, one is reminded of the truth of Emerson's 
saying, " An institution is the lengthened shadow of one 
man." In Budapest to-day the " lengthened shadow " 



THE GLOWING PAST 17 

of this man is seen everywhere. He was an untiring 
apostle of reform. In the Parliament of 1825 
Szechenyi was one of the most prominent figures, and 
he won the heart of the nation by devoting a year's 
income — some 60,000 florins — to the establishment of 
the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Reform and 
practicality went hand in hand with him. He regulated 
the Danube and the Tisza, founded the Danube Steam- 
boat Navigation Society, built the chain bridge over 
the Danube, and instituted the Agricultural Society, 
together with a host of other things. Metternich was 
the great opponent of reform. Szechenyi, Deak, and 
Kossuth, with a crowd of others, captured the feeling ot 
the nation, and the Viennese Court knew it, but failed 
to appreciate the growing body of new opinion it 
represented. Kossuth the eloquent and literary was 
soon driven into the ranks of the irreconcilables. The 
aims of Szechenyi and Kossuth were fundamentally 
alike, but the former kept in view peace with Vienna, 
whilst the latter, rightly as it proved, regarded Vienna 
as the sworn foe of all Hungarian progress and reform. 
In the Diets of 1839 and 1843 some progress was 
made, particularly regarding the official use of the 
Hungarian language, the admittance of commoners to 
public offices, and the granting of equal rights to all 
Christian denominations. It was impossible, however, 
to stave off 1848. There was something international 
about 1848. Nationally it remains considerably more 
than a name, a date, a mere historic episode. It is an 
inspiration even to this day. The cry from Hungary 
was " Reform." The answer Vienna gave was, " No 
Reform." Responsible ministers such as Batthyany, 
Deak, and Kossuth foresaw Austria's refusal to grant 
measures — not an open opposition, it is true, but a secret 
2 



1 8 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

movement. Students of history are well aware what 
happened, that agitators were thrown amongst the 
Croatians, the Serbs, and the Roumanians in Hungary. 
Vienna fanned the flames of local discontent. Terrible 
massacres ensued. Whilst the Croatians, Serbs, and 
Roumanians sought the aid of arms, the Germans, 
Slovaks, and Ruthenians loyally supported the national 
cause. Parliament unanimously voted the necessary 
military and financial means for suppressing the 
insurrection. In the September of the year the 
Viennese Court threw off its mask and recalled the 
Palatine Archduke Stephen, and appointed Count 
Lamberg as his successor. Parliament repudiated 
these acts, and Count Lamberg was murdered by the 
enraged Hungarians directly he appeared at Budapest. 
The Ministry resigning, a council of national defence 
was formed, with Kossuth as President. In a 
remarkably short time a very capable army was 
marshalled and sent out to meet Jellachich, who was 
marching on Budapest at the head of the Croatians. 
Thoroughly beaten, he fled, after an armistice, to 
Vienna. A short time after this came the news of 
the abdication of Ferdinand and the institution of 
Francis Joseph I. Success and failure, victory and 
defeat were the characteristics of the closing days of 
1848. Bem subdued the nationalities for Hungary, 
but a great part of Hungary was captured by the 
Austrians. It is interesting to note the words of 
Palmerston concerning this conflict : — 

" I firmly believe that in this war between Austria 
and Hungary there is enlisted on the side of Hungary 
the hearts and souls of the whole people of that 
country. I believe that the other races distinct from 
the Magyars have forgotten the former feuds that 



THE GLOWING PAST 19 

existed between them and the Magyar population, 
and that the greater portion of the people have 
engaged in what they consider a great national 
contest. It is true that Hungary for centuries past 
has been a State which, though united with Austria 
by the link of the Crown, has nevertheless been 
separated and distinct from Austria by its own com- 
plete constitution. That constitution has many defects, 
but some were remedied not long ago, and it is not 
the only ancient constitution on the Continent which 
was susceptible of improvement. ... I take the 
question which is now to be fought out on the plains 
of Hungary to be this : — whether Hungary shall con- 
tinue to maintain its separate nationality as a distinct 
kingdom, and with a constitution of its own ; or 
whether it is to be incorporated more or less in the 
aggregate constitution that is to be given to the 
Austrian Empire. ... It is impossible to disguise 
from ourselves that, if the war is to be fought out, 
Austria must thereby be weakened, because if the 
Hungarians should be successful, and their success 
should end in the entire separation of Austria from 
Hungary, it will be impossible not to see that this 
would be such a dismemberment of the Austrian 
Empire as will prevent Austria from continuing to 
occupy the great position she has hitherto held 
amongst European Powers ; if, on the other hand, the 
war being fought out to the uttermost, Hungary 
should be completely crushed by superior forces, 
Austria in that battle will have crushed her own right 
arm. Every field that is laid waste is an Austrian 
resource destroyed ; every man that perishes on the 
field among the Hungarian ranks is an Austrian soldier 
deducted from the defensive forces of the Empire." 



20 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

There is truth in every line of this, but there were 
no hearing ears. Prince Windischgratz besieged Buda, 
and the Government fled to Debreczen, where a strong 
national army was organised under the generalship 
of Gorgei, Klapka, Damjanich, and the Pole Bern. 
These drove nearly all the Austrian troops out of 
the land. In vain did Hentzi besiege Pest, whilst 
Buda was recaptured by the Hungarians. On April 
14, 1849, Parliament dethroned the Habsburg dynasty. 
Such was the chaos in the land. Unfortunately, so 
much was left to chance that no final form of govern- 
ment was determined upon. Kossuth was elected 
Governor President, but too much was left to his 
initiative, whilst in the ways of war he was not well 
versed. Trouble then loomed from their own ranks, 
for Gorgei refused to listen to the advice of Kossuth 
upon a point upon which the latter was perfectly 
right. This cost the nation much. From this point 
the flag of victory began to droop. Gorgei, instead 
of advancing on Vienna, decided to retake Buda en 
route, thereby giving the Austrians time to join 
forces with their Russian allies. This naturally led 
to many heated disputes between Gorgei and Kossuth, 
until finally the latter resigned, the General then 
enjoying complete command. His first act was an abuse 
of his newly gained power, for he unconditionally 
surrendered himself to the Russian troops. It was 
a despicable act — an act of unpardonable treachery, 
as was afterwards proved. He tricked thirteen other 
generals into following his example, whilst many of 
the real leaders fled to Turkey. Gorgei himself was 
sent to Klagenfurt, where he enjoyed a small pension. 
Vilagos was a dark day for Hungary. Then followed 
scenes of indescribable cruelty, of exceptional and 



THE GLOWING PAST 21 

unnecessary violence, of bestial revenge. Nothing was 
heard for months in Hungary but the groans of 
suffering men and women. Every prison was filled. 
Trial was dispensed with, and a coarseness and 
brutality equal to that of the French Revolution 
reigned supreme. Wholesale hanging was the order 
of the day. The gallant old Honveds were enrolled 
in the Austrian army. Hungary was incorporated 
in Austria. German again became the language, and 
all national endeavour was stifled. How my blood 
boiled as I listened to stories, highly coloured doubt- 
less, but by eye-witnesses, of the terrible havoc made 
by hangman Haynau ! Professor Vambery also 
described his witnessing the Evangelical clergyman 
Paul Rarga carrying his own gallows up the Szamar- 
hegy at Pozsony, and how that his five little children 
were forced to the scene to witness the execution of 
their father. It was a blood drama. Licence took 
the place of liberty, and blood was the only negotiable 
currency. On the Hungarian calendar stands a day 
underlined with red. It is October 6, 1849. No 
one is allowed to forget it, it is " Arad Day." Every 
year on this date Budapest clothes itself in black. 
It is the nation's mourning day. Never have I heard 
a nation sing as the Hungarians sang the first " Arad 
Day " procession I witnessed. But what is " Arad 
Day " ? It is simply the day upon which the thirteen 
generals were killed at Arad by order of an illegally 
constituted Court-martial called together by Haynau 
the butcher. 

These betrayed souls died nobly, as men and 
Hungarians only can. On the same day was shed 
in Pest the blood of one of the noblest martyrs in 
the cause of freedom, Count Lajos Batthyany. In 



2 2 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

vain did he protest against the Court called together 
to judge him. Strangely enough, the Court-martial 
acquitted him, but a second one condemned him to 
die on the scaffold. The first Hungarian Minister 
President revolted against such a death, and the 
Countess Karolyi smuggled a stiletto into the prison, 
with which Batthyany so wounded his throat that it 
became impossible to hang him. He was accordingly 
shot. Even women did not escape the cruelty of 
Haynau, " the Hyena of Brescia." No woman can 
forgive Haynau for ordering Mrs. Maderspach to be 
dragged to the market-place of Ruszkabdnya, there 
undressed by the soldiers, and beaten within an inch 
of her life. Her husband, when he learned of the 
episode, could not survive the dishonouring of his wife, 
and committed suicide. Hungary and the Hungarians 
will ever remain grateful to the employees of Messrs. 
Barclay & Perkins' Brewery in London for the 
thrashing they gave Haynau when he visited them. 

Many, however, were simply cudgelled to death. 
There was the case of the old coffee-house keeper 
Liedermann, who was thrashed by order of General 
Schlick. When revoked for his brutality, the General 
said " he did not mean it," but did not suppose " that 
sixty blows would kill a sixty-years-old man." But 
one case must not be omitted : it was that of a Honv^d 
lieutenant named Lamborg, who was badly wounded 
and imprisoned. When Haynau was in Arad it so 
happened that the lieutenant met him one day on 
his way to the pharmacy. Unable by reason of his 
bandages to doff his hat, this Austrian Marat immedi- 
ately sent for a bench, placed the lieutenant upon it, 
and had him so thrashed that all his wounds opened, 
and amid indescribable sufferings he died in front of 



THE GLOWING PAST 23 

a huge crowd who were cowed by the brutality of 
the man. 

From this story of " '48 " one name is missing, and 
I have wilfully left it for the closing lines of the 
chapter — it is the name of the great Hungarian poet 
Alexander Petofi. Some even to-day are able to recall 
the picture of a handsome, patriotic, but impetuous 
■poet reciting to a vast crowd his " Talpra Magyar" 
on March 15, 1848 : — 

" Magyars, up ! your country calls you ; 
Break the chain which now enthralls you ; 
Freemen be, or slaves for ever. 
Choose ye, Magyars, now or never. 
For by the Magyars' God above 

We truly swear. 
We truly swear the tyrant's yoke 

No more to bear." 

After this, the crowd marched to a printing-office, 
drove out the representatives of the Censor, took 
possession of the machines, and printed the poem, 
which was circulated all over Hungary. The spirit 
of the song awakened all, and it is impossible to 
overestimate its contributory force. The poet then 
joined the Honveds, was made captain and attached 
to General Bem, and met a brave soldier's death at 
Segesvar at the hand of a Cossack. 

The old order now giveth place to the new. 



CHAPTER II 

MODERN HUNGARY 

" I called the New World into existence to redress the balance of the 
Old." — Canning 

ODERN Hungary practically begins with the 
emergence of the nation from the torpor 
consequent upon the cruelties which followed Vilagos. 
For ten years a kind of passive resistance was 
practised which in a quiet way frustrated all schemes 
for the centralisation and Germanisation of Hungary. 
The first sign of repentance or recognition of value 
was shown at the close of the war with Italy which 
ended so disastrously. In i860 it was impossible to 
collect the taxes. The Hungarians are adept at 
passive resistance. Everybody was seized with an 
inability to pay their taxes. Neither was it any good 
seizing goods and submitting them to public auction, 
for the Austrian official could never find a purchaser. 
I was told of a case where the tax amounted only to a 
florin, and a cow was offered to a large crowd for that 
amount, but no one would buy. It is in incidents 
such as these that the quality of national patriotism 
is exhibited. The futility of continuing the struggle 
against stubbornly patriotic people at last dawned upon 
the mind of the Viennese statesmen, and the Diet was 
convoked in 1861, where Deak expounded his famous 



MODERN HUNGARY 25 

principle of " Jogfolytonossag," the continuity of the 
law of the land, or full restitution of the constitution 
of 1848. Was it wise to ask as much just then? 
That is a question which one has asked oneself a 
hundred times, but to ask less was but to meet with 
the same result. The necessity of considering the 
claims of Hungary had not yet entered into the circle 
of political conception around which the Austrian 
mind wobbled. There were those doubtless who 
foresaw the attainment of every demand, but the 
majority only said " hands off" what we have acquired. 
During the Prussian War the Hungarians again 
saved Austria from utter annihilation, and thus forged 
another claim to consideration. Reconciliation did 
not come, however, until 1867, and it was largely the 
achievement of Deak. The famous Compromise, or 
" Augsleich," was simply an endeavour to give a 
precise turn to the duty of mutual defence undertaken 
under the Pragmatic Sanction by the creation of an 
administration in which the countries bore an equal 
part of the control of foreign affairs and the united 
services. The coronation of Francis Joseph at 
Buda in June 1867 was another binding but 
highly conciliatory act. Then followed an era of 
comparative peace if not of contentment. Civilising 
influences were not long making themselves felt. For 
at least ten years no gigantic constitutional issue 
could disturb the nation, for the question of the 
revision of the " Compromise " was admitted only after 
such a lapse of years. The nation was driven 
to introspection, and naturally strove to express its 
new conception of liberty in a multitude of forms. 
Hungary had to be re-formed, re-shapen, and re-made. 
The task was a huge one, and the labourers were few. 



2 6 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Many imagined that the " Compromise " did every- 
thing, secured everything ; consequently little was 
submitted to criticism or challenged. It is true that 
there existed a section of the political thinkers who 
continually advocated separation from Austria, but it 
was rarely made a supreme cry. There was no real 
hostility at this moment to the Emperor-King. 
Meanwhile the nation steadily utilised or absorbed the 
examples provided by Western civilisation, and Modern 
Hungary sprang into being. In politics new men 
began to loom, men of talent, not to say genius. The 
situation even now was beset with thorns. Germanisa- 
tion was dreaded, whilst there was a desire to preserve 
the most friendly relations with the Ottoman Empire, 
because of their kindness in receiving the exiles of 
1848. 

The question of military expenditure in 1878 was 
an important one, and Kalman Tisza, who succeeded 
Kalman Szell, had no little difficulty in quieting the 
public mind on this point. Gradually the nation 
underwent change. Reform after reform was rushed 
through Parliament during the fifteen years' regime of 
the elder Tisza. The House of Magnates was re- 
modelled, the Hungarian language became popular, 
whilst the period of election of deputies to the House 
of Parliament was extended from three to five years. 
Once the harmony of reform was threatened by the 
Anti-Jewish riots, but the good sense of the nation 
stepped in and averted disaster. The Hungarian in 
politics is a strange bundle of contradictions. He is a 
speedy absorbent, but there is little far-awayness in his 
politics. He stands out in marked contrast to the 
English statesman, it may be because conditions are so 
different ; but even acounting for his environment, an 



MODERN HUNGARY 27 

ample margin of contrast exists. In surveying 
Modern Hungary it is impossible to overlook the traces 
of hurry. There was so much to be done directly the 
nation threw off its lethargy. Men began to realise 
that a mere constitution was not sufficient, they must 
have a country. Pride of race asserted itself. A new 
order of men had to be found, for new ideals had 
touched the national conscience. Budapest had to be 
made habitable, and not only habitable, but beautiful. 
No sooner was the idea hinted than the waste places of 
Pest blossomed as the rose. Structure after structure 
reared its head proudly — but quickly. Uniformity 
was not regarded as an essential, variety was courted, 
but everything ugly tabooed. The great demand was 
that it must be done quickly. To-day, when you ask 
Hungarians why this and this is not done, they at 
once remark, " You must remember that forty years ago 
we had nothing. Look at our great buildings and 
monuments, they are modern." If one would awaken 
old memories, or catch the spirit of the past, then you 
must wander amongst the narrow streets of Buda, so 
redolent of Turkish occupation. Here modernity is 
immediately dethroned. But it is only an excursion, 
not a sojourning-place for the student of men and 
affairs. In the history of Modern Hungary one does 
not hear the clash of arms, the groans of the dying, or 
the victor's song, but rather the pounding of metal 
into shape, the blasting and disgorging of mineral 
wealth, and the hum of the artisan. The National 
Exhibition held in Budapest in 1885 did much to 
awaken the attention of the public mind to the 
economic and commercial possibilities of the country. 
Then the Hungarian began to travel. Disraeli said : 
" Travel is the great source of true wisdom, but to 



2 8 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

travel with profit you must have such a thing as 
previous knowledge." It will be seen how much 
" previous knowledge " the Hungarian possessed. 
From every journey some new idea was forthcoming. 
England and Italy enjoy quite a good proportion of 
the ideas which were regarded as practicable. But 
if so much time was devoted to the building of a new 
capital, politics were not relegated to an obscure 
corner; on the contrary, the passion for politics 
increased with vehemence. 

Political parties sprang up in a night, just like 
a Hungarian newspaper. Political migration was 
common, A change of Premier was an opportunity 
for a change of party. The long reign of the elder 
Tisza broken, others sought to emulate his staying 
power, but failed. Each succeeding Premier made 
some contribution to Modern Hungary. Wekerle, who 
succeeded Szapary, earned a reputation for his clerical 
reforms, and brought upon himself the everlasting 
hatred of the Roumanians. Banffy put the finishing 
touches to two of Wekerle's unfinished measures, as 
well as renewed the Ausgleich. In 1896 the 
Millennial Exhibition at Budapest again attested the 
development of the nation. Several points are worthy 
of special notice, primarily the great increase in the 
urban population. In 1881 the population of 
Budapest stood at 360,000, increasing in 1891 to 
505,000, whilst in 1901 the figures were 732,000. 
These figures rose in 1906 to about 900,000. It is 
in Budapest alone that the rapid growth of the popu- 
lation is demonstrated. Szeged, it is true, added 
29,000 to its numbers during this period. But 
Zagrab, the chief town of Croatia, jumped from 29,000 
to 61,000. Whilst, however, the towns increased at 



MODERN HUNGARY 29 

the rate of about a thousand a year, many of the 
villages suffered from depopulation, for more than a 
million of their inhabitants found their way to America 
during this period. No country can afford to lose so 
many of its rural population. In a policy of haste 
many great economic factors were overlooked. To let 
these human assets steadily drift from your side is one 
thing, but to woo them back again after they have 
once tasted the sweets of a higher civilisation is quite 
another thing. Hungary has always needed workers. 
This is felt all the more keenly by reason of the 
absence of a genuine Hungarian middle class. I shall 
never forget the surprise with which a remark of mine 
was greeted concerning the participation of the English 
nobility in the world of commerce. That a peer 
should condescend to associate with business was 
something beyOnd their apprehension. In Hungary 
money means power, more so than in most places. 
The Jewish element saw it, and the towns realise what 
it means to-day. They were prepared to work hard 
and to live hard, but they focussed their nimble wits 
upon getting rich, and they accomplished their object. 
The Hungarian magnate despised the Jews, one and 
all, and seemed to lose sight of the fact that there are 
Jews and Jews. He never even learned the art of 
business from them, though it was practised before 
him every day. But the politician soon found out 
that the Jews had captured the commercial-economic 
machinery of the land, and that however much he 
might despise the men and means employed to secure 
such, the power of directing money and trade was 
largely in their hands. Awakening, perhaps not too 
late, one finds the Hungarian aristocracy promoting 
industries to-day. There is, for instance, the " Counts' 



30 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Brewery Company," dominated by the Andrdssys and 
their friends. The Jews, on the other hand, have 
acquired some of the worst traits of the hereditary 
nobility. In the making of Modern Hungary the Jew 
has been a great contributor, for he did the work 
which aristocratic breeding would not then allow. 
But the Jewish business element is not to be likened 
unto the middle classes of England. Having obtained 
a good grip of the commercial possibilities of Hungary 
as manipulated by its centres, attention was then 
turned to politics, and soon the Jews swarmed into the 
Orszdghdz. Nothing could stay the development of this 
large section of the Budapest population. Politically, 
however, it is a variable and negotiable quantity. 
" Each for himself" was again the motto. With senti- 
ment against them, and in opposition to Magyar 
feeling, they have wrought wonders — for themselves. 
To ignore them is now an impossibility. They have 
moved with the times, often against their inclination, 
but they saw the necessity of moving. 

In less than fifty years wonders have been wrought 
on the Pest side of the Danube. Fifty years ago there 
were no waterworks in Pest. In most of the houses 
of that period was found an old-fashioned pump, 
picturesquely set in an old-fashioned courtyard. From 
this common pump the water had to be carried in 
quaintly shaped tubs to each dweller in the house. 
The task of carrying the water in these tubs on the 
back was performed by women as a rule. Water thus 
secured had to be treated as a rarity. In one of the 
squares — Calvin t^r — stands a rather pretty fountain : 
here in the old days — not beyond recall — could be 
seen a group of merry-tongued Rebeccas, sent thither 
by their mistresses for water. Artists ever saw a new 



MODERN HUNGARY 31 

canvas here. Even the water from the Danube was 
hawked round the town by discreditable looking 
vendors, who were usually followed by a horde of 
ragamuffins striving to earn a few copper coins by 
carrying the water to your rooms. But to-day every- 
thing is up to date. Means of communication were 
also very primitive in those days. It is almost 
impossible to describe the ambiguous looking vehicles 
of forty years ago. They were really waggons, and 
only in that sense public conveyances, but waggons 
constructed so as to carry sixteen persons of normal 
build, fourteen within and two without on the box. If 
a storm came on, a framework of iron rods was 
speedily requisitioned — and each driver was supposed 
to carry such — over which was flung an awning of oil- 
cloth, for the most part porous. The badly made 
roads and the clumsiness of the vehicle often led to 
the dislodgement of these rods, which would somewhat 
heavily remind the occupants of the vehicle they 
chanced to fall upon that watchfulness was a necessity. 
But this was not the only ill travellers were subjected 
to. For instance, it was a trifle annoying to have the 
entire awning suddenly removed by a gust of wind 
during a downpour of rain. It was a work of art 
sometimes to enter these hearse-like coaches, for one 
and all were often called upon to creep under the flaps 
of the tarpaulin. Another difficulty often experienced 
was that of stopping the conveyance, for so great was 
the clatter created by the vehicle and horses as they 
lumbered over the cobbled streets, that the driver never, 
or rarely, heard the request of the passenger. A friendly 
prod with a walking-stick, however, usually succeeded 
in arresting his attention, but not until you had passed 
the spot you desired to alight at. 



32 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

To walk instead of ride, particularly in the bad 
weather, was also beset with difficulties ; for the paths 
were not raised, and drivers did not hesitate for a 
moment to use the cleanest place to drive ; consequently, 
passengers continually ran the risk of being crushed 
against the wall, or being forced into a shop entrance, 
from which they rarely escaped without opening their 
purse. To-day one of the finest narrow-gauge electric 
tramway systems in the world interlaces Budapest at 
every point, and travelling is not only rapid but 
inexpensive. It must not be forgotten that Budapest 
boasts of having the first tube-railway, and though 
travelling is not so luxurious underground^ as in 
London, it is a most serviceable system, seeing that it 
touches just those streets outside the radius of the street 
tramways. One, however, must express a note of 
regret that the weird-looking omnibuses which continue 
to convey people from Buda to the Varosliget (Town 
Park) are not done away with. The introduction of 
the zone-tariff in 1889 must also be regarded as an 
important factor in the making of Modern Hungary. 
Communication was thus made possible to all, and 
the spirit of progress passed to and fro on wheels. 

The tendency nowadays is to overestimate the 
influence of Parliament, and to undervalue those forces 
which appear to hover somewhere between municipal 
or private enterprise and State intervention. In 1875 
only 3985 miles of railways were to be found in 
Hungary, whilst in 1900 some 10,624 represented 
the railway system of Hungary, upon which some 
64,4 1 2,000 passengers were carried that year. Shipping 
is also making tremendous progress, and Fiume appears 
likely to develop into a first-rate port. Fifty years 
ago the shipping trade at Fiume amounted to only a 



MODERN HUNGARY 



33 



few thousand pounds, but now its figures have joined 
the ranks of the millions. It is obviously clear to all 
who have seriously attempted to study the Hungarian 
people, that in fifty years something in the nature of a 
miracle has been performed. Attention has been 
devoted to this and that national necessity, to the 
improvement of this and that institution, but the 
great institution of the State — man — has in some 
degree been neglected. Man the economic factor, the 
industrial pivot, man the worker and universal provider, 
has been left somewhat to himself. The larger 
European unrest left him for years untouched, and 
he remained content in his lot as a producer. No 
idealism stirred his blood, though the flame of 
nationalism burned within him as a religion, and 
somewhat obscured the picture of the future which 
the worker in other lands had caught a glimpse of 
No inspiring teacher or prophet came forward with 
an evangel. Thus contentedly the worker plodded, 
prevented from thinking of the future by the dtn and 
perhaps even the fascination of modern political 
disturbances. Tocqueville was right when he said, 
" Nations are like men : they are still prouder of 
what flatters their passions than of what serves their 
interests." Now, in 1908, the worker has awakened, 
and a still more modern Hungary must be created if 
he is to be kept within the confines of his native land. 
During the past ten years parliamentary deadlocks 
have been frequent. The commercial activity of 
Hungary undoubtedly tended to provoke periodic 
outbursts of anti-Magyar feeling in Austria, whilst 
both the nationalities and the Socialists contributed to 
the friction in Hungary itself Government under 
Count Istvan Tisza was not an unmixed boon. The 
3 



34 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

so-called Liberal Party was Liberal only in name, 
and the country felt the absence of a clean, honest, 
progressive party. Political progress such as is under- 
stood in England was not desired. The attempt of 
Tisza the younger to tamper with the laws of 
procedure led to some disgraceful scenes, and finally 
to the undoing of the great party that he led. 
The advent of the long-awaited Progressive Party 
(Haladopart) was the opportunity for a renewal of 
national disturbances which earned for Hungary a 
peculiar European notoriety. Not only were the 
entire Fejervary ministry socially boycotted, but 
Parliament refused to provide the usual quota of 
recruits for the army, whilst everybody declined to 
pay taxes. Passive resistance with a vengeance 
was then instituted, and the most exciting scenes 
were enacted. Political interest was not exclusively 
fixed upon Budapest, for passive resistance spread 
rapidly into all the counties. This movement was dis- 
tinctly retarding, though the blame was cast upon the 
aged monarch for his unconstitutionalism. National 
progress and development was checked by the advent 
of the Progressive Party. Hungary, as before, was 
the prime sufferer. Europe could or would not 
understand that the fundamental forces that grapple 
behind the veil of diplomatic detail " are lost sight of 
and attention is engrossed by the incidentals of the 
moment." Hungary has invariably suffered in the 
polemic arena, for they that are for her are less than 
those against. Political paralysis left its due impress 
upon trade and commerce, and suspended progress. 
Austria again found the Magyars unyielding. 
Absolutism followed on the heels of a refusal of 
the majority to recognise the scratch Ministry of 



MODERN HUNGARY 35 

the King. Life in Budapest became unpleasant. 
Tlie rigidity of the police methods was annoying. 
It aimed at stamping out Kossuthism, and ended by 
stamping it in. A fierce censorship of the Press 
ensued, and finally it was forbidden to sell newspapers 
in the streets. Meanwhile M. Kristoffy, the Minister 
of the Interior, had allied himself with the Socialist 
element of the Budapest populace, and these were 
marshalled in his interests against Apponyi, Andrassy, 
and Kossuth, whilst before he was compelled to 
vacate office he started the " universal suffrage " 
hare. Truly these were stirring times. A judicial 
blindness appeared to fall upon those in high places. 
Any attempt to limit the freedom of the Press or 
speech invariably produces a grave danger. The Press 
is usually one of the great safety valves of national 
life. Irresponsible editors one may always find, and 
unscrupulous journalists usually drift in their direction. 
But to close the whole of the safety valves because 
of the leakages of the majority is to court explosion. 

Hungary was agitated — in fact, it was more than 
agitated, it was aroused. Never shall I forget those 
days — the demonstrations and counter-demonstrations ; 
the hasty closing of shops, and the appearance of 
the police ; the arrests and imprisonments ; the 
crowded " Kavehaz " ; the gall and bitterness, the 
vehemence. Politics rose in those days to an 
inflaming passion. Then came the " Tulip League," 
and the boycott of everything Austrian. How the 
nation applauded those Magyar ladies who gave 
their jewellery to the fund for the indemnification of 
those officials who refused to obey the orders of the 
Fejervary Government ! The Executive Committee 
of the Coalition Parties was then dissolved — but not 



36 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

dispersed. The Hungarian Parliament was cleared 
by soldiery, and the doors of the Chamber sealed and 
guarded. This was the closing insult to Hungarian 
constitutionalism, to the wishes of the majority in 
Hungary. One felt directly this was resorted to that 
the psychological moment had arrived. What would 
the nation do now ? was the question all Europe asked. 
Of course there were the usual pour-pa7ders and the 
time-honoured conferences, but few were prepared for 
the news of an armistice between King and people. 
It was one of the most astonishing transformations in 
the recent history of European politics, the granting 
of power to those who had practically been placed 
under Tsarism, and the relinquishing of the Russian 
methods put in force in Budapest by the Hungarian 
Trepoff Rudnay. There was something so sudden 
and unexpected about it that it seemed incredible, 
until one beheld the ministers being whirled round 
the town by a happy and excited populace. Never 
before have I seen such enthusiasm. The look on 
Count Apponyi's face as he approached me in the 
afternoon was not one to be forgotten. It was 
radiant with his newly won success. " The best of 
all is," he said, " we have given up nothing, we have 
surrendered no item of our programme, and made no 
sacrifice of principle. But you must remember it is 
only a Government of transition." 

But how was all this attained ? What or who had 
wrought the change ? The House of Habsburg, it is 
said, is successful in everything except debate and 
war. It certainly looked like it. But why had the 
Emperor softened so ? What were the terms of the 
armistice which seemed like heralding a new epoch 
to Modern Hungary? The Coalition groups were 



MODERN HUNGARY 37 

prepared to accept the responsibility of government 
providing the following claims were not disregarded. 
In the first place, the military question — i.e. the 
" commandosprache " — was to be held in abeyance 
until a Bill furnishing a large measure of electoral 
reform became active. The reason for this was that 
perchance Austrian opinion, and doubtless even the 
King himself, considered that as the last elections 
were not fought on this issue the verdict of the people 
had never been secured, consequently he — the King 
— was justified in rejecting all such claims as had 
been advanced by the Magyars. Such a measure of 
electoral reform would take quite two years to prepare, 
during which period the attention of Parliament would 
be devoted to social legislation. Meanwhile the new 
Government only recognised such debts as were in- 
curred in the displacement of non-effective armaments 
for effective armaments. No more recruits were to 
be granted. On the other hand, the Government 
insisted upon the commercial and fiscal individuality 
of Hungary ; freedom of trade between Austria 
and Hungary. Currency reform was also another 
demand, the abolishing of all paper money and the 
introduction of the metallic system crowning the 
whole with a real Hungarian Bank, thus securing 
more independence. To one and all of these pro- 
posals the veteran King assented, and the result was 
the return of Wekerle as Premier of the celebrated 
" Coalition of Talent." The cup of national joy now 
o'erflowed. The elections for the first time unrestricted 
gave the Independent Party a huge majority. The 
new Parliament met without an opposition, and the 
length of its life was shortened by this very fact. 
The Liberal Party, once so formidable, had died in a 



38 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

single night, and its deserted leader sought the solitude 
of the Alfold for recompense, and English political 
biography for refreshment. Never before, perhaps, in 
the whole history of European politics has a party 
so influential disappeared so abruptly. There was 
something almost cowardly in the manner it left the 
arena of politics. Such, however, are the fluctuations 
of Hungarian politics. The nation now having 
obtained their desire, power having been vested in 
the formerly despised, a kind of passivity fell like a 
mantle upon all. Much was expected. Alas ! in 
politics the expected never happens. There's a no 
more jaded, disappointed set of men than the members 
of an over-powerful parliamentary majority, and it is 
difficult to find a more disappointed country than 
one legislated for by such a majority. Balance in 
statesmanship is one of the most desirable achieve- 
ments. Political lopsidedness invariably produces 
political libertinism. At the moment I pen these 
lines the country is again awakening from one of its 
periodic naps, and the cry is for Reform. What can 
result from such a demand must necessarily be left 
to the chapter on " Prospective Hungary." 

Alongside the strenuous political movements of 
the twentieth century in Hungary one may easily dis- 
tinguish the growth of the commercial and industrially 
economic idea. To make Budapest a modern city 
is one thing, but to modernise Hungary is quite 
another thing. Visitors to Budapest must not imagine 
for a moment that by coming to Budapest and 
exploring its environs that they have seen Hungary 
and the Hungarians. Not so. What you have seen 
is a cosmopolitan city with an English flavour about 
it. Yea, you have seen even more than that ; you 



MODERN HUNGARY 39 

have touched, so to speak, the keyboard of Hungarian 
activity, intellectual, commercial, and political. But 
Hungary and the Hungarians you have not seen. 
These live beyond beaten tourist tracks, in the region 
of the hills, and on the great plain ; here resides the 
flower of Hungarian chivalry, the strength of the 
nation. Let us now take a peep at them. 



CHAPTER III 

THE CARPATHIANS AND ITS PEOPLES 

"I would not give up the mists that spirituaUze our mountains for all 
the blue skies of Italy," — Wordsworth 

IF you want to see Hungary and the Hungarians, 
begin where I did, away in the Carpathians. 
Come over from Berlin to Oderberg, thence to Tatra 
Lomnitz, where the very best hotel in Hungary may 
be found. How well I remember my first sight of 
those dim grey heights known as the High Tatra ! 
Here one instantly feels the atmosphere of reflection, 
and the quiet culminating strength of rest. What a 
day it was ! " Isten Hozott ! " (God has brought you 
here !), that most beautiful of Hungarian greetings, fell 
upon my ear with a fine sense of music, though with 
but a dim perception of meaning. My host smiled 
delicately at my embarrassment, and repeated the 
greeting, " Isten Hozott ! " then almost reverently 
escorted me to my room. The room was expressively 
adequate, but it was the window that fascinated me — ■ 
fascinated me not so much by what it was as by what 
it disclosed. Leaning upon my elbows, like the Jewish 
lover who grandly sang through his casement, " Until 
the day break and the shadows flee away," I caught in 
a moment the infectious Magyar spirit. A peasant 
moved slowly with some oxen over a disturbed parcel 



THE CARPATHIANS AND ITS PEOPLES 41 

of ground, and even here one was able to distin- 
guish the undying temperament born of untraceable 
ancestry. How long I stayed at that window 
listening to the wild, untaught crying and laughing of 
the Hungarian gipsy music I know not, but I was 
summoned to earth by the first and last article of the 
Magyar creed — hospitality. With quaking limbs I 
descended, to find a young Hungarian student who 
spoke English, and at once fear passed into joy. I 
was informed that a real Hungarian dinner had been 
prepared for me. Again fear arose, for I am a pagan 
mortal, and dislike variety — in food. Again my fears 
were dismissed, when I found that the national dishes 
were plainly prepared. Even in the cooking one may 
discover some national traits. If you want real 
national dishes, you must go to Szeged. What a 
revelation that first dinner in Hungary was to me ! — the 
curious and then unpronounceable names, not to say 
the ingenious treatment of meats and vegetables. We 
had " gulyas," a sort of meat stew well seasoned with 
" paprika," and " toltottkaposzta," a mixture of meat, 
rice, and spices, minced and rolled up in a cabbage leaf, 
quite a tasty dish. But what I most enjoyed, perhaps 
because it caused me the pleasantest recollections, was 
a weird something bearing the name of " csorge-fank," 
a species of baked fritters with which was served some 
preserve. 

What I remember least of all was the wine. Suffice 
that it was golden-hued and plentiful. It was the 
early autumn, and after dinner we all went out into 
the night. What marvellous nights the Tatra region 
provides ! The feeling was so uncommon, so un- 
expected. It was something more than mere 
mountains and plains. What a cynic the man was 



42 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

who said that anticipation was the forerunner ot 
disappointment ! The stillness of the place enthralled 
me ; I became awe-stricken, and my cigarette fell from 
my hand, as if ashamed to be alight. This is just how 
one feels at night amongst the Carpathians. Even the 
trees had caught a fine idea of the Magyar spirit, for I 
seemed to hear them croon out snatches of some never 
to-be-forgotten national song. Here is something, at 
least, which is unconquerable, something beyond all 
parliaments and all kings ; it is the heritage of 
nationality, the birthright of the Magyar nation. Few 
of the people so far North are pure Magyar — they are 
German, Slovak, and Ruthenian, but my host was a 
" tiszta Magyar " ; but there, under the gaunt shadow 
of the mountains, he distinctly evidenced his race. 
The Magyar is superstitious. It was the Tree-Spirit 
which disturbed him, for he beheld the lighted fires on 
the marshes and shuddered. Mine eyes were closed 
that I could not see. They told me a few days after 
that they still worshipped the sun in this lonely region, 
and that even good Catholics will cross themselves 
when a shadow passes athwart the sunshine. In the 
morning I searched in vain for some trace of glacial 
formation on the Magas Tatra. It was not a 
disappointment, for the compensations of my environ- 
ment were too many to admit of that. It is like, yet 
unlike some parts of the Tyrol, and when snowbound 
in the winter equal to the best. But that subtle 
something you instantly perceive at Tatra Lomnitz is 
wanting both in Bavaria and Switzerland. Language 
undoubtedly has something to do with this. Both 
Magyar and Slovak seem to blend more harmoniously 
with the wild scenery than guttural German. The 
sense of inactivity, the absence of strenuousness, and 



THE CARPATHIANS AND ITS PEOPLES 43 

the presence of a patriotic acquiescence were all 
adjuncts to the elusive compound I describe as the 
Magyar spirit. Psychic forces unleashed abound 
here. There is no feeling of township, no hustling 
pedestrianism, no violating sound save that of the 
village smithy. 

Tatra Lomnltz, therefore, is not for those who cannot 
endure being without the noisy emblems of modern 
civihsation. You may hunt, walk, climb, fish, drive, 
more than these are not promised. But I have 
written too hastily : there is a race meeting, in summer, 
tennis courts, and soon will be a golf ground, whilst 
winter brings its full meed of outdoor sports. It is the 
beauty and grandeur of the situation which appeals 
and which endures. Driving back from Lake Csorba, 
which lies 1387 metres above the sea-level, one may 
often catch a glimpse of some furry animal capable of 
quickening the pulse of the hunter. Within a few 
miles of Tatra Lomnitz a fine chamois shot across 
our path one night, disturbed doubtless by some 
adventurous, intrepid wanderer, whilst those who 
penetrate the thicket may find bears, boars, foxes, 
polecats, and stags. Nature is lavish with her gifts 
here. The drive from Tatra Lomnitz to Csorba along 
the Clotilde road is one of the finest in Hungary. 
When I took this drive for the first time, I could not 
help feeling, as I looked down at the huge unpeopled 
plain below, with an occasional village huddled 
together as if for protection and warmth, what a 
terrible place it might prove for moving armies of men, 
what a battlefield it would make. On the other side, 
the mountains grim and sometimes forbidding act as a 
protector. Superstition may exist, but certainly not 
fear. I was surprised to find the roads so good, for I 



44 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

had been told that in 1848 only 276 geographical 
miles of made-up roads existed in the whole country. 
To-day, both for driving and motoring, the main road, 
particularly the road from Debreczen to Roumania, is 
during the dry season as good as any of the best 
motoring roads in France. In Hungary, people rather 
than places are of more interest. The virtues of the 
Carpathian region are inexhaustible from a Nature 
point of view, it is true, but the value of these is 
enhanced by man in his mystifying moods and 
costumes. It is the home of the Slovak. To-day it 
seems as if this portion of the Hungarian irreconcilables 
were to be immortalised by the misguided but powerful 
pen of Bjornson. With no genuine grievance against 
t^e Hungarians, this dour, hardy race are continually 
being stirred into animosity to-day by wayward priests 
against Magyar rule. You see in their cold clear 
eyes the spirit of revolt, and when you get to know 
them you hear the rumblings of a growing discontent. 
These descendants of the Moravians stand out in 
remarkable contrast with the picturesque district in 
which they live. The imprint of poverty lies heavily 
upon them. The memory of one of these sorrowing 
souls I shall ever carry with me. He stood at the end 
of the bridge which leads from the more pretentious 
Kassa-Oderberg line to the circuitous cog-wheel railway 
connecting Csorba with Csorba-t6. With an almost 
reverential bow he wished me " dobra jutra," his 
female companion joining him in the salutation. In 
appearance he resembled one on priestly errand bent. 
His hat was a picture, and he himself a perfect study 
in black and white. All the slowness of his race 
seemed to envelop him. Beside him, upon which a 
tiny child rested, were two parcels, one a box of strange 



THE CARPATHIANS AND ITS PEOPLES 45 

and ambiguous workmanship, the other a long canvas 
bag such as soldiers carry. These formed a fitting 
base to such a column of human feeling. For some 
moments I stood and watched this group, for I felt 
something of the pathos of departure. Then a 
mountain mist like a huge mantle gradually covered 
all, and a slow sweep of the arm over the entire 
country indicated the sense of farewell. Rising higher 
and higher into the mountain region, I heard the low 
wail of the emigrant as he sang that last terrible song 
of departure. No one seemed disturbed save myself. 
But the song of the peasant returned, and with the 
song came another glimpse and a lasting one of the 
wanderer, Slovak songs are full of tears. 

The Slovaks have little or no independent history, 
have striven for no renown, but are as an American 
writer described them, " the stepchildren of fortune." 
Let me give you just a glimpse of a Slovak village. 
One of its distinguishing features is a brook, which 
invariably runs as a dividing line through its irregular 
and uneven street. At first sight it would seem that 
the population was composed of geese and women, 
for I scarcely remember ever passing through a village 
where I did not find a group of women knee-deep in 
the brook, pounding clothes out of shape, but into 
some degree of cleanliness. If you need a more 
complete picture, bring in some willows, and a 
waggoner contentedly watching his horse drink from 
the brook prior to driving through the shallow stream, 
with a horde of children, none too clean, gazing at 
all from a rickety foot-bridge. Such is a Slovak 
village. Outside most of these villages in the 
Carpathian region one may find a gipsy settlement, 
with all the essential accompaniments of dirt and 



46 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

beggary. In life the element of contrast counts for 
a great deal. Contrast, for instance, the hovels of 
these Romany wanderers outside the village with 
the long, low houses ranged so evenly by the Slovaks. 
Peep inside, and you will find the walls hung with gay- 
flowered pottery, relics many of them of an old home 
art-industry now obsolete. What piles of white square 
pillows ; and what a feather bed ! No fewer than six- 
teen geese have been sacrificed to supply that bed. 
In one corner stands a sewing-machine, never idle in 
the winter ; whilst many houses boast of a loom. 
Characteristic ornaments are rare, but one struck me 
as unique. Hanging over the table I observed an 
object of decoration and interest, formed of a blown 
egg-shell, to which was added a tail and wings of 
coloured pleated paper. This is supposed to represent 
a dove, and symbolises the Holy Ghost. 

There is also a picturesqueness about the garb of 
the men which reminds one of comic opera. But 
behind all the eccentricities of apparel, the archaic 
broad-brimmed black felt hat and enormous leathern 
belts of the men, and the marvellously embroidered 
garments of the women, one may easily discover the 
impress of a hardy race. The Slovak is by nature 
slow, wanting in initiative, inclined towards passivity, 
and constantly expecting either the gods or Parliament 
to do what is obviously the supreme duty of man. 
He is both sentimental and superstitious. The 
memory of another face that I saw at Csorba is 
always with me. The man belonged to that type 
which boasts of a long straight nose and lantern 
jaw, with bluish-grey eyes, and Slav light hair, never 
kept in order, but allowed to curl up menacingly 
above the collar ; physically capable of the greatest 



THE CARPATHIANS AND ITS PEOPLES 47 

exertion, with features powerful without being unduly 
heavy, and a grace of movement perfectly consonant 
with unlimited strength. The women are equally 
hardy, and seem impervious to all the extremes of 
heat and cold. For instance, in summer you may 
find the men wearing, without the slightest sign of 
discomfort, heavy sheepskin cloaks, whilst during the 
winter months they are able to work in the woods 
with just an ordinary cotton vest on. I met scores 
of men who only sleep on an average four hours a 
night for weeks at a time. Wandering down into 
Trencsen, a royal free borough with just over 
7000 inhabitants, one day, on my way I heard 
some of the finest singing it was possible for man 
to listen to. The hot sun drove me to a shady knoll, 
where I rested a while. Drawing from my pocket a 
volume of Hazlitt's Essays, I was soon so engrossed 
that I became oblivious of both time and place. 
Suddenly the whole air rang with the richest of 
melodies, and the book fell from my hands, so amazed 
was I. Whence cometh this song? Rising for a 
moment that I might discover the position of the 
singers, I was surprised to find such rich harmony 
emerging from a group of Slovak peasant harvesters, 
who, whilst continuing their labours, sang some of their 
wonderful folk-songs. All the fields rang with music 
that summer morning. Trencsen and its environs is 
interesting. It was practically my introduction to 
ancient Hungary. There's a " Lovers' Well," dug in 
the rock some 95 fathoms deep, with a story attached 
to it. The legend has it that a young Turk of high 
rank approached the commander of the ancient keep 
which overlooks the town, and offered a large ransom 
for his loved one, who was in captivity. Stephen 



48 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Zdpolyai, however, set the young Turk the task of 
digging a well through the solid rock, and this was 
to be the price of his loved one's release. For seven 
weary years he laboured before his work was finished, 
but on its completion Zapolyai handed the industrious 
Turk his love. This is why it is called the " Lovers' 
Well." Quite near, only seven kilometres distant, is 
Trencsen-Teplitz, famous for its warm medicinal 
springs. For centuries the nobility of Northern 
Hungary have found relief from bodily ailments 
here. 

Tradition rears its head proudly all round Trencs6n. 
There are the ruins of the old castle at Bellus, over- 
looking the Lednicz valley. It is said that a powerful 
lion once devastated and terrorised this peaceful valley ; 
so terrible was its power that a bribe of a huge portion 
of territory was offered to its slayer. In due season 
the good brave knight was found, and his family have 
lived in comfort ever since. Romance vies with romance 
along the road from Kotteso to Hricso. To get to this 
latter place one must needs pass through Rovne, which 
is, I think, the longest village in Hungary. Hricso 
was once a notorious robbers' nest, and in the rarely 
visited subterranean dungeons one may still find 
chains, instruments of torture, and other emblems of 
the dark ages. Few visit this part of Hungary, and 
in some of the places they never remembered seeing 
an Englishman before. It is a tramping country, and 
most of the sights of interest have, so to speak, to be 
dug out. It is impossible for the man with only a 
week's holiday to travel inland ; he must keep to the 
main routes, and be content with cosmopolitanism. 

In most of the villages I tramped through, especially 
those with a distinct Slovak flavour about them, a dark 



THE CARPATHIANS AND ITS PEOPLES 49 

cloud hangs over. Just a piece of the cloud was 
present when my dear old Slovak friend wished me 
good-morning at Csorba. Sometimes whole villages 
are ruined by intemperance, sometimes by the poverty 
of the soil, sometimes by political discontent. Away 
in the North I found more intemperance than else- 
where. All the influences that appear to count for 
anything seem to favour intemperance. Yet these 
three devastating influences — drink, sterility, and 
politics — strong as they are in one direction, are 
unable to rob the Slovak of his passion for race and 
patriotism for a cause. Slow peoples such as these, 
when once set moving, are most difficult to restrain. 
Despite all that has been done by the Ministry of 
Agriculture, and Dr. Daranyi in particular, on all 
sides one may still hear Vayonsky's pathetic song 
of the wandering Slovak — " Our native village does 
not give bread to her children." Civilisation does not 
crowd the Slovaks, but the meagreness of it is de- 
populating Slovakland. What a lot the world owes 
to woman for keeping alive the spirit of patriotism ! 
This is peculiarly true of the Slovak mother, for she 
is the patriotic dynamic force of her race. She 
remains behind in the old country whilst the man 
tests the capacity of the new land. Tenaciously she 
holds on to the old but tiresome life. A friend took 
me to see a Slovak mother who twice had returned 
the passage-money her husband sent, preferring the 
drudgery and lack of recognition of the village to the 
civilising harmonies of towns in another hemisphere. 

One day I was attracted by a pathetic little picture 

on the platform of one of the wayside stations in the 

Carpathian district. It was a mother with her baby 

and her bundles. Vainly had the husband in America 

4 



50 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

pleaded for his wife to come out to him ; but she loved 
the tiny village, and distrusted those whom she could 
not converse with. Finding every other scheme fail, 
the husband then cut off supplies, and the poor 
woman was forced into facing the long and difficult 
journey alone. The scene at that country station is 
indescribable. Everybody was in tears. Even the 
railway officials could not withstand the atmosphere 
of sorrow departure invariably creates. I, too, a mere 
idle spectator, plead guilty to a choking sensation 
of the throat. At last the train is ready to depart, 
and the poor broken mother stood at the doorway of 
the carriage. The priest, unmindful of punctuality, 
rushed again to the woman, and with tear-stained 
hands blessed her, then delivered an invocation to 
patriotism. The train slowly steamed out into what 
was, to most of those present, the Great Beyond. 
Another soldier had left, another producer departed. 
More than 600,000 Slovaks have found their way 
to America. The Hungarians are now awakening 
to the need of retaining these units of national life, 
and steps are being taken to prevent the wholesale 
emigration of the last ten years. Remedial legislation 
is promised, special agricultural interest has commenced, 
and the ladies of Hungary have undertaken a campaign 
for the promotion of a real social life in those districts 
where drinking is abnormal. It would be a sin to 
remove from those quaint villages of the Carpathian 
slopes the picturesque figures of the Slovaks. There 
is a spirit, a pride of race, and a patriotism of equal 
measure to that of the Magyars, and they are to be 
captured and utilised by that generous recognition 
of right which predominant peoples invariably display 
to those committed to their charge. A new song 



THE CARPATHIANS AND ITS PEOPLES 51 

must be learned : it is the song of the returned Slovak, 
he who brings the fruits of sojourn and experience 
to his fearless and desolate land and people. 

Trencsen is an excellent centre for the student 
of history, and it was luck, not knowledge, that led 
me to it. Striking out with a young friend whose 
linguistic capacity was then almost restricted to 
Hungarian, we were simply deluged with happy 
experiences. Once when frightfully tired, and soaked 
to the skin by one of those uncomfortable mountain 
showers, we found ourselves stranded in a mere 
hamlet, where scarcely a soul spoke Hungarian. It 
was night, and the small town we had hoped to make 
was of too great a distance for our tired limbs. 
For an hour we cast about for a shelter for the night, 
but, unable to meet anyone who understood German 
or Plungarian, we decided to seek shelter from the 
rain and sleep there. On our voyage of discovery 
my friend, who had religious scruples, thought of the 
priest. The kitchen, or outhouse, of the priest's abode 
was certainly preferable to the vermin-haunted farm- 
yard, so we wakened up the occupants of the next 
house we chanced to discover, and asked the location 
of the priest. Retracing our steps — for man invariably 
when beset with difficulties wanders away from the 
right track — we in less than half an hour had made 
the acquaintance of the priest, who, on hearing that 
I was English, immediately arranged for our comfort. 
He was a queer - looking, kindly soul, with every 
appearance of being well nurtured, and apologetic 
withal. To us weary pedestrians the cottage was 
a palace, and the hasty cold spread a banquet. 
Conversation was difficult, and a score times the 
merry little man apologised for being unable to 



52 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

converse with us save in Latin. In the morning 
he allowed us to depart with such a sad look that 
we both felt uncomfortable for hours. Since this 
first experience I have never hesitated to appeal to a 
priest, whatever his religion, for either a bed or a meal. 
Victor Hugo wisely immortalised these quiet souls in 
whom is found the milk of human kindness. The use- 
fulness of Latin was thus evidenced for the first time. 

Taking the road which led away from the 
High Tatra, we struck the beautiful valley of the 
Yiig. Every step we now took resounded with some 
old-time story of chivalry, and ever and anon we saw 
where those predatory Bohemian knights held their 
orgies. Legend heaped on legend. At Csejte I 
was told the story of Elizabeth Bathory, consort of 
Francis Nadasdy, and sister to the King of Poland, 
in 1610. In the subterranean chambers of the castle 
here, it is said, Elizabeth, having been persuaded by 
an old witch that the secret of perennial youth was 
only to be achieved by bathing in human blood, 
struck her maid and killed her, then washed in her 
victim's blood, eventually caused to be killed no fewer 
than three hundred young girls in order to satisfy 
her superstition. The result was that she discovered 
the secret of perpetual imprisonment, for she was 
incarcerated there for life. A little farther on I 
caught a glimpse of Brunocz Castle, where the Jesuit 
Bohus composed " Hej Rakoczy-Bercsenyi," a famous 
military song of the Rak6czy period. Then, after 
looking at the fortress which Leopold I. constructed 
in 1665 as a protection against the Turks at Lip6tvdr, 
I longed for mountain air and quietude, so rode back 
to Tatra Lomnitz. The Tdtra always restores me. 
To stand and look up at Gerlachfalva, the highest 



THE CARPATHIANS AND ITS PEOPLES 53 

peak of the Carpathian range, 2663 metres high, is 
to feel something of the majesty of nature in its 
rugged calm. From the top of Lomnitz peak one 
may on a clear day see as far as Cracow. Climbing 
is easy, guides good and plentiful, and the air pure 
and transparent. Spring in the Tdtra is neither hot 
nor cold, the summer distinctly warm, whilst autumn 
and winter offer exceptional attractions. Before saying 
good-bye to my dear friends of the Carpathians, I was 
introduced to two delightful excursion haunts, and 
there encountered experiences of no common order. 
One was an ice cavern, the other a raft ride. Both 
were of the novelty order, and I, ever curious to see all, 
succumbed to the invitation. It was a grand day, and 
the drive from Poprad is one of the grandest in Hungary 
— ^just one of those drives which make a man silent. 
It seemed almost a desecration to talk save in a 
whisper. If I remember right, we passed through 
the wonderful Valley of Flowers and the uncom- 
promising looking village of Grenicz. Another picture 
vividly fixed upon my memory was the enormous 
number of scantily clad gipsy children who at every 
turn of the road rushed out for small coins. Halting 
to rest the horses just before we reached Dobsina, 
I tried to collect a group of these sun-tanned dis- 
reputables in order to photograph them, and one 
little urchin, a perfect combination of dirt, rags, and 
mischief, I particularly wanted as a centrepiece, but 
the rage of the mother was so terrible and lasting 
that I was forced to abandon the idea. Thinking 
some evil would befall the tribe if the white man 
photographed them, she ran im.mediately and informed 
the entire army of mothers, who came and snatched 
away with fierce gesticulations my group, much to 



54 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

the annoyance of the unthinking children. Curiosity 
in these parts does not often supersede custom. 

Amid the beauty of the Dobsina ice cavern I forgot my 
failure of the morning. You have to take a somewhat 
circuitous walk before you arrive at the entrance, and 
once there you are soon in the immense hall. The 
cave itself has an area of 8874 square metres. When 
the lights were turned on it resembled Aladdin's Fairy 
Hall, and one felt a child again in wonderment and 
surprise. There is an extraordinary variety of ice 
hangings and fantastic configurations. The following 
day I was promised a raft ride on the Dunajecz, and 
the possibility of an exciting experience thrilled me. 
Leaving Szepes-Bela in a carriage for Szepes-Ofalu, 
we practically passed through the Magura Mountains, 
then made for the Red-Cloister, after spending the 
night at Szepes-Ofalu. Curiously enough, the Duna- 
jecz flows from south to north. At Red-Cloister men 
awaited us with rafts formed of hollowed-out trees 
such as the district provides, in which were arranged 
seats of a most comfortable order. With a few pre- 
liminaries, we were off. My Polish friend at the bow 
was ably seconded by the Slovak in the stern, and 
between them they succeeded in giving us some 
exciting moments. How we rushed along, until it 
seemed as if our frail barque had tired of control 
and was now determined to court disaster and in- 
dependence of movement. Yet every time we looked 
like getting a good wetting our phlegmatic steersman 
deftly turned the primitive coracle into safer waters. 
The swiftness of movement almost made one giddy, 
yet accidents are unknown here, so expert are the 
rafters. Any lover of speed, of rapid movement, must 
try this experiment. 




SLOVAK PEASANT OF THE 1 \IK\ XORTHERN HUNGARY 



THE CARPATHIANS AND ITS PEOPLES 55 

It is obvious that, regarding natural beauty, Hungary 
in the Carpathian area is surpassed by many countries, 
but in no country can one find the historic, poetic, 
patriotic sense of peoples so peculiarly blending with 
Nature's gifts, and so redolent of an elusive something 
which I must ever call the Magyar spirit. One cannot 
wander amongst the charms of the High Tatra and 
touch even in an inadequate form the life of the people 
in that region without being deeply impressed by the 
irresistible yearning for freedom — a yearning fostered 
in silent meditation, woven into the tissue of a thousand 
dreams, abounding in song, surcharged with tears, 
supported by literature and history, yet practical in its 
impracticability, and as pervasive as nationality. No 
one is forgotten. In Hungary names and dates live 
in the memory even of the inadequately educated. 
Bound by ties unseen, linked by chains hammered 
in sorrow, the Magyar nation lives and moves — slowly, 
it may be — toward that day, the day of the minor 
nations. 

With heartfelt regrets I left the Tatra for the men 
of the plains, and the larger centres of national 
activity. 



CHAPTER IV 
WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS 

"The shades of night have fa,llen o'er the low plains." — Poushkin 

THE traveller from Berlin to Budapest cannot avoid 
Kassa. It was night when I entered Kassa, and 
political demonstrations rendered an otherwise uncom- 
monly quiet town unusually turbulent. There was 
little to be seen at such an hour, but I realised the 
" stone age " was not over, and sought the comparative 
peace of a barber's shop. Hungarian barbers are good, 
and in the country places inexpensive. Both are a 
consolation to the man with a strenuous beard and a 
meagre purse. This, of course, is true of England — in 
a few places. In Hungary you must first learn the 
quarterings of the knight of the lather ere you meet him. 
Outside the shop stands not the variegated pole which 
was the envy of my youth in England, but two golden 
coloured discs, like abandoned plates hanging in mid air, 
as if to tempt the accuracy of the schoolboy and the agility 
of the midnight youth. In a foreign town the barber 
is usually the first man I seek acquaintance with, and, 
as a rule, he is better informed than the evening papers 
and just as reliable. In Kassa the Hungarians are the 
dominant race, and you are not long before you realise 
this. There is a comparatively busy air about the place, 

for the railway activities which centre there bring into 

56 



WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS 57 

the place the spirit of progress from the outer world. 
Kassa owes much to this factor. In a Western sense 
it is, however, only in its infancy, though in a few 
years it will be found in long clothes. After leaving 
the comfortable hotels in the Tatra, it is rather dis- 
agreeable to put up at the inns the town provides, 
lacking as they are in all those little conveniences 
which an Englishman calls necessary. It is not luxury 
that one demands, but English necessity. Too often 
we expect too much, and always forget that it is we 
who are the foreigners. Hungarians love heat, closed 
windows, smoke-filled rooms. We English love air, 
exercise, open windows, plenty of water and large 
towels. Many a time I've been nearly roasted in a 
railway carriage when travelling with Hungarians, who 
feared a draught even in summer. It is true that the 
night air is very deceptive in Hungary, and several 
times I have paid the penalty of my indiscretion ; but 
to be smothered with bed-clothes in summer, or not 
allowed to open the window when travelling, is indeed 
a custom difficult to reconcile oneself to. 

Never ask for tea in Hungary, save where you know 
they have been taught how to make it. To put a little 
cheap tea into a cold teapot, then pour over it some 
water which has never reached boiling point, is the 
conception of tea-making many have arrived at. At 
Kassa, mine was so weak it could hardly get out of 
the spout. I am sure, however, all these things which 
the insular, prejudiced English dote upon will soon 
be found in Kassa, so keen are its inhabitants and so 
complete its progress. Until I visited Kassa it had 
never interested me. Budapest, Debreczen, and Tran- 
sylvania were something more than mere names on a 
map to me, they were historical centres I longed to 



1% 



5 8 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

explore, they were influences reaching out into Western 
civilisation ; but Kassa was a new spot for research, 
an unknown quantity. The growth and development 
of the town is not without its history. History is often 
silent or scant regarding its past, but it is clear that 
Kassa was known as far back as Geza I. In the 
fourteenth century the city sprang into some measure 
of importance as a " frontier-town," and became a 
royal free city. And a century later, owing to a 
continued increase of privileges and the expansion of 
its strongholds, it assumed the leadership of all Northern 
royal free cities, and became at the same time the 
capital of Hungary. Around it raged a series of con- 
flicts prior to the battle of Mohacs, which added to its 
renown and stimulated its growth. Sympathy, ever a 
variable quantity, at one time flowed out generously to 
the Habsburgs, and Kassa became one of the most 
reliable towns. An attack upon the Church, by 
Belgiojoso and Stephan Bocskay, won them over to the 
Magyar cause. It was the turning-point in its history, 
and ever since Kassa has been identified with the 
successes and failures of the Magyars. Bocskay 
directed his big campaign from Kassa, and, after 
concluding peace with Vienna, he returned and died 
at Kassa. Bethlen Gabor also played a great part 
in the history of the city. But after the death of 
George Rak6czy I., Kassa passed into the exclusive 
possession of the Hungarian kings, and the influence 
of the Transylvanian princes vanished. Both Thokoly 
and Francis Rakoczy II. and those who followed them 
attempted to woo and win the Kassans, but failed. 
Then following the Peace of Szatmar came a fading 
away of the military glory of the town, which was not 
revived until the fateful Revolution of 1848. 



WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS 59 

Despite continued struggles, the city boasts of the 
finest Gothic cathedral and the oldest playhouse in 
Hungary. The former pleased me immensely. It 
was so encouraging to see something Gothic, after 
gazing for weeks at ruined castles and Slovak cottages. 
The play that Gothic always gives to the imaginative 
faculties, the spirit of ages it bears, and its variety, 
came as a panacea, so that life again became bearable. 
Inside the Cathedral I felt nearer home. The architect 
was one named Villard d'Honnecourt, a Frenchman. 
It was ever the aim of the great Matthias to secure 
the best available men for his work, and undoubtedly 
the Cathedral is magnificent. One never feels alone 
there. It is not so large and so pillared and aisled 
that man loses his identity therein. In a land where 
magnificent churches are scarce it stands out royally, 
though its merits alone justify the position it occupies. 
There is a superb piece of filigree work by Stephen 
Crom, standing 66 feet high and forming a canopied 
tabernacle. This was probably executed in 1472. 
The altar pictures, forty-eight in number, are Early 
German, and said to be by Wohlgemut. One must 
also take notice of the fifteenth-century frescoes in the 
walls of the SS. Stephen and John chapels. There is 
nothing really great about them, but in a country which 
by reason of its continually being kept in the battlefield, 
and thus unable to cultivate or store any of the arts 
and emblems of peace, it is interesting to fully note 
what really may be found. Both the choir and stair- 
case date from King Matthias. Apart from the Cathedral, 
Kassa has few monuments of general interest to show — 
churches galore, Franciscan, Dominican, Reformed, 
all evidences of the life that was, as well as of the 
life to come. 



6o HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

The Kassa of to-day rears its head ambitiously. It 
is social, political, cultural, and commercial. Possi- 
bilities simply swarm in upon one. When I first 
visited Kassa, only a few — a very few — spoke English. 
Now, thanks to the energy of Madame Horthy, many 
are able to converse, to say nothing of reading and 
writing in English. For some time I found it difficult 
to account for such a keen economic sense so far North, 
and though attributing much to the railway, it must 
not be forgotten that during the one hundred and fifty 
years of Turkish occupation the development of 
economic life and civilisation was practically nothing, 
and the spirit of industry was only kept alive by 
taking refuge in the towns of Upper Hungary. This 
is also true of art. Little is left of the monuments of 
the fifteenth and sixteenth century in their original 
state, and the little that is left may be found in the 
North. Apart from the institutions common to all 
towns, one has gained more than local notoriety. In 
Kassa — that is, within easy distance of the centre of the 
town — is one of those industrial institutions for young 
criminals which, by reason of its success, has made 
Hungary famous. It may safely be said that the police, 
magistrates, judges, and prison authorities, having 
passed beyond the theory of mere vengeance as a 
legitimate social function, even yet scarcely realise the 
emptiness and absurdity of administering the criminal 
law on a theory of retribution or punishment, and 
the weakness and futility of that plausible last refuge 
— deterrence. Hungary in this respect has its own 
standards, and therefore its unique institutions. The 
Hungarian State regards itself as responsible for all 
" abandoned " infants and children, and the term is 
applied liberally, so that no child is called upon to 



WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS 6i 

suffer for the misdoings of its parents. There is no 
idea of " stamping out " crime, but what is assailed is 
the tendency. In Kassa the spaciousness of the place 
makes its appeal to the juvenile consciousness. There 
is an entire absence of anything resembling a house of 
detention. It is the sanatorium idea. They are ill, 
and must wait and be cured. Residents in the colony 
are not called prisoners, but boarders, and they are 
grouped in families. In the boys' home each head of a 
family has twenty-four foster-children to father, and he 
has constantly to exercise the duties of a parent toward 
them, teaching them to be forbearing, kind, and courteous 
to each other. The success of the experiment is unpre- 
cedented. In the thirteen State infant institutions in 
1903 there were 16,660 children distributed into 466 
colonies, where children of tender age are cared for and 
trained. We have nothing in England comparable with 
this system, and have much to learn from it. 

Two things in the family life struck me as in- 
valuable — the daily use of the tooth-brush and the 
neat folding of clothes every night. The children are 
all classified according to behaviour and age, and the 
distinguishing marks of the different clans or families 
is to be found in a pretty badge, or by the colour 
of the dress. Religious instruction is regular and 
simple. Everything is done to render the life of the 
child not penal, but pleasant. They have their games, 
bands, and swimming school, and may even visit their 
parents occasionally. The educational scheme is a 
laudable one, for the main idea is the rearing of good 
citizens, by creating pleasure in work, and teaching 
some remunerative employment. In the workshops 
the most up-to-date machinery and methods are 
employed. The boys at Kassa are allowed to earn 



62 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

wages, thus stimulating diligence and engendering 
thrift. There are moments, I was told, when a strange 
waywardness will come over a boy, and when the 
position renders it impossible for him to be allowed 
to continue violating the rules of the family. For 
such as these, and the cases are remarkably infrequent, 
a scale of reprimands has been arranged. In the 
official book for 1905 I found the following system 
and scale of reprimands : — 
{a) Private admonition. 
{b) Reprimand in the presence of the family to 

which the offender belongs. 
{c) Meals to be taken apart from others, and no 

amusements allowed. 
{d) Loss of distinctions which may have been 
gained, and of special favours, such as the 
right to receive visits, write letters, and to 
walk outside the bounds. 
{e) Meals of a less varied character than usual, 

to be taken at a separate table. 
{/) Banishment from the family, and enrolment 

in one of lower class. 
{g) Complete isolation from the other inmates. 
(/^) Expulsion from the establishment, and con- 
signment to prison. 
This is surely an object lesson for advocates of 
corporal punishment. No patient is sent for a specific 
or fixed term, the virility of the disease and the 
success of the treatment only to be the determining 
features of their stay, with this limitation, that none 
can be detained after arriving at their twentieth year. 
In one of the suburbs of Budapest a similar institution 
exists for girls, and it is equally successful. 

In the Museum, which is supposed to be of 



WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS 63 

exceptional interest, little of surpassing value was 
found, many of the 30,000 curiosities being of too 
local a nature to admit of description. Perhaps the 
most valuable collection is that of ancient coins. 
Schools abound, and official residences proclaim its 
dignity and importance as a city. I found fewer Jews 
and more Slovaks than I expected. What a study 
in cobbles the roads are ! — and driving after a time 
becomes painful. Often I sat and wondered how 
those strange-looking vehicles drawn by such lean 
horses stood the unevenness of the Kassa streets. 
Harness even now is often a collection of assorted 
string and leather. Primitive carts, primitive drivers, 
and primitive horses, what rich objects for the painter ! 
It is obviously not a writer's land, but an artist's. How 
amazing also that such a collection of colours should 
be found upon one person without fighting ! Some 
prominent person in Hungary must be found to 
promote a society for the preservation of national 
costumes. How much Hungary would lose if clad in 
regulation black and white ! Away in the North, 
surrounded by much that even yet must be styled 
primitive, one longed for art, for literature, but one 
felt remarkably close to the distant past. Though 
the grand and majestically expressive Magyar tongue 
was heard, I felt that I had not yet reached the real 
Magyar impregnated atmosphere — that I, like them, 
must push on to the heart of things and there abide 
a while. This much must be said for the railway 
accommodation, that it is cheap and good. 

The day that I selected to visit Tokay for the first 
time was one of the hottest the August of that year 
had provided. Travelling was unbearable even with an 
English crowd near one. To talk almost scorched 



64 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

one's tongue. I remember one such day in Egypt. 
It is a little off the beaten track from Kassa to 
Debreczen, but it was the obvious thing to do to 
have a peep at the vineyards of Tokay. I remember 
even now the sensation of being called at a monkish 
hour : even then everything and everybody seemed to 
have been awake hours — ^just one of those days one 
is called upon to eat two breakfasts. There were 
several Hungarians on the train who spoke English, 
and the tales they told of the wine we were going to 
drink simply added to the thirst which commenced 
soon after eight in the morning, and which continued 
until Debreczen was reached at midnight. Then, it 
was too hot to doubt or even question their opinion ; 
now, on deliberate reflection, it would be unfair. Tokay 
as a town is nothing, but Tokay as a wine is every- 
thing. I recall everything — the crowd at the station, 
the flag-bedecked streets, the banquet, the speeches, 
the wine — and the white dust. I can even remember 
an unpremeditated hiccough. Twice that day I 
thanked the forces of war that resulted in Rakoczy II. 
concentrating his influence on the Hegyalja district. 
Much, I learnt that day, was due to this illustrious 
Prince of Transylvania for making renowned the 
golden juice of Tokay. It became then and has 
remained the " wine of kings and king of wines." 
This is no national conceit, but a unanimous foreign 
opinion. At the Council of Trent, Pope Pius IV. was 
presented with a small barrel of the Talya vintage 
by the Bishop of Zagrab, George Draskovich, as the 
most costly gift he could give. His Holiness on 
tasting it exclaimed, with unaccustomed generosity of 
speech, " Summum Pontificem talia vina decent," or, 
" Such wines are fit for the hisrhest Pontiff." 



WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS 65 

Tokay as a wine-growing area is a very small one. 
The output is scant and imitations are many. One 
may almost stand on a hill and see the entire Tokay 
wine district. A tiny mountain range, a few assiduous, 
patient workers, and here you have the producing spot 
of that famous wine which the poet affirms is " gold 
become liquid." They say that the district was 
probably first planted by Italians, who brought over 
slips during the time of Louis the Great. Dryness 
is the chief characteristic of the climate in this district. 
The summer is very warm, and the winter cold, with 
hurricane winds. In the spring it is cool in the 
beginning, and dry, passing in May without any 
transition period into warmth. The beginning of 
autumn is damp, but as the month proceeds the days 
become dry, fine, and long. Spring frosts, I was told, 
injure only those vineyards which lie on the plain, 
whilst the best vineyards are to be found at a height 
of 150—190 metres above the level of the Adriatic. 
Naturally I had many opportunities of tasting the 
best that Tokay could produce, therefore can testify 
that there's nothing on earth to equal it. Its quali- 
ties as a medicine are only now being recognised, 
though Max Wirth wrote as far back as 1885 that 
" Tokay Ausbruch has throughout Europe won the 
name of the King of Wines, and is held to be the 
Crown of Wines for convalescents and those decrepit 
with age." Tokay, however, has to be approached at 
the right angle to be appreciated. A good appetite 
is not sufficient. You must be one who does not 
take wine just for your stomach's sake, but able to 
approach it artistically. There is a right and a wrong 
feeling with which to approach wine. He who heeds 
not the bouquet and is blind to the rich colour will 

5 



66 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

never have the imagination stimulated, and on such a 
person Tokay is wasted. A legend tells of a monastery 
containing a cave in which the noblest growth of 
Tokay was stored. The custodian was never permitted 
to approach the cave save in the most courtly garb, 
bearing in his hand a silver candlestick. Such was 
its effect upon an aged friend of mine, a timorous 
soul in his bravest moment, that after tasting some of 
this delectable nectar he felt constrained to deliver in 
an alien tongue a powerful oration on the value of 
a revolution. But its medicinal qualities are as 
numerous and more efficacious than those unsuspecting 
article advertisements that so often lead us astray in 
the English newspapers. In the Tokay wine district 
something of the generosity of the wine has entered 
into the character of the people, and everything seems 
to blend harmoniously. A rich owner of vineyards 
entertained me at tea, and the sensation of witnessing 
two stout-limbed servants bear upon their shoulders a 
tray laden with the choicest of grapes, rich and lustrous, 
for our dessert, led me to determine upon a neglect of 
everything save Tokay grapes. Alas ! evening shadows 
drove me away, and to undergo a most painful 
experience. A slow, tired train, crowded with jaded 
travellers, the evening air stifling, whilst as if to crown 
events fitly the whole lighting system gave out, and 
the long journey to Debreczen was undertaken in the 
dark. Only an hour late. Everybody irritable and 
impatient. No Tokay. But it was Debreczen, the 
" City of the Magyars," the Protestant Rome. 
Curiously enough, both the first and the last occasion 
upon which I visited Debreczen I arrived after mid- 
night. I never advise anybody now to attempt to go 
from Kassa to Debreczen vid Tokay in a day. Once, 



WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS 67 

however, you are in Debreczen, and drive down the 
wide street to the hotel, you feel something of what 
poets have sung — a peculiar sense of abidingness, of 
largeness, of expanse, and of rest. From over the 
great plain, immense and fertile, this feeling steals. 
Here again mere monuments cease to attract you. 
Long, dwarfed - looking streets ; the usual large 
square ; an abundance of coffee-houses ; good shops, 
and you have the whole town. In Flungary one 
soon grows accustomed to the dead level of the houses, 
the almost German regularity and uniformity of the 
towns. Life is never to be found within the walls of 
such as these, but in the one principal thoroughfare, along 
which passes the restless activity of a pleasure-loving race. 
Debreczen with its 75,000 inhabitants strikes quite 
a different note to Kassa. When, however, I think 
of what we in England are able to do with so many 
thousands of people, and what a town we make of 
it, I sit and wonder at Magyar content. Whilst there 
is so much missing apparently, so many possibilities 
not utilised, there is a collectivity about the place 
which we don't possess in England. They are 
Hungarians. The concerns of the great, outside, 
troublous world do not concern these hardy agri- 
culturalists : it is only the Alfold and Hungary 
for them, and it sufficeth. Debreczen's part in the 
Revolution of 1848 was a noble one. But I love 
Debreczen because of its Petofi associations — Petofi, 
the greatest literary genius Flungary ever had. The 
poet always seemed to have been suffering there. 
Listen as he sings : — 

" Oh, Debreczen ! 
When I recall thee ! 
Much I suffered within thy walls ; 



6S HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Yet notwithstanding, 

It is a pleasure 

For me to recall thee. — 

Papist I am not, 

Yet I did fast and fasted long. 

'Tis good that a man's teeth are bone, 

'Tis a wise ordinance of heaven." 

Age makes few calls upon one here ; one is near 
to moving events and men. In the very centre of 
the square stands the Protestant church, which every 
Magyar points out to the visitor as the spot where 
Louis Kossuth proclaimed from the pulpit on April 
14, 1849, the separation of Hungary from Austria 
and the deposition of the Habsburg House. Every 
time they recall the event even the eyes of the young 
flash strangely, as if remembering past wrongs. Quite 
near to the church another Hungarian poet is im- 
mortalised — in bronze. In the eighteenth century, 
Debreczen was the largest town in Hungary, and in 
this village - town stood a commodious but ugly 
building which to the passer-by appeared to be a 
barracks. Alas ! how deceptive appearances are, for 
the inmates wore long black togas, and it was none 
other than the famous College of the land. Here, 
amid so much external gloom, was educated one of 
the most extraordinary poets of his age, Michael 
Csokonai. He was the finest lyrist of his time. A 
restless wanderer, Csokonai for many years delighted 
the heart and quickened the pulse. Nothing disturbed 
his sense of nationality, though his poems show how 
keenly aware he was of the " ruling ideas and 
tendencies of his time." Rousseau's conception of 
solitude stirred him to his noblest poetic efforts. 
Professor Beothy says of Csokonai : — 

" He sang his unhappy love in lyric songs, which, 



WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS 69 

with their tender sweetness, and the noble inwardness 
of their outbursts of sorrow, together with the fluent 
ease of their verse, made them our best amorous 
poetry up to the time of Vorosmarty and Petofi." 

Behind the church one may find Csokonai Place, 
and there remember that the poet died at thirty-two. 
In Dr. Riedl's Hungarian Literature what was known 
as the " Arcadian Controversy " is dealt with, and 
it is interesting as occurring after Csokonai's death. 
Kazinczy suggested as an epitaph to be engraved on 
the poet's tombstone the words : " I, too, have been 
in Arcadia." The poet's fellow-townsmen, the worthy, 
matter-of-fact burgesses of Debreczen, did not know 
what it meant. They looked up the name " Arcadia " 
in Barthelemy's popular Le Jeune Anacharsis, and 
there discovered the following statement : " In Arcadia 
there were excellent fields for the rearing of domestic 
animals, especially asses" Naturally they felt dis- 
mayed. What a theme this controversy would have 
provided Csokonai with ! Debreczen had another son, 
who in the French wars achieved distinction as a 
soldier, and later as a man of letters. In all the 
writings of Michael Fazekas it is easy to distinguish 
the influence of French literature gained in the wars. 
On one occasion he was in a position to increase his 
worldly store by pillage, but, entering the French 
chateau, he found his way immediately to the library, 
selected a volume, and read for some time, eventually 
leaving bootyless, after replacing the book on the 
shelf Of such stuff was Fazekas made. A monu- 
ment to the gallant Honveds who fell at the battle 
of Debi'eczen on August 2, 1849, recalls and re- 
minds. A dying lion on a pedestal of rock is a fit- 
ting symbol of the courage these home-bred soldiers 



70 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

possessed. Here in the busy mart you may behold 
the flower of the Magyar peasantry. It is the Magyar 
race you see, which is not to be confounded with the 
Hungarian nation. The one is united and unanimous : 
action and deeds is its motto. The other, ethnically 
speaking, is yet in process of formation. With an 
unusual degree of fitness, the Magyars, the very 
kernel of the nation, are welded together in the centre 
of the land, a compact body. The natural conditions 
surrounding Debreczen made its appeal to those 
earlier settlers, for it corresponded to their mode of 
life, and the expansiveness and freedom, to say nothing 
of the scope provided by the Alfold, seemed in keeping 
with their past. It must have been a sparsely 
populated area when the followers of Arpad first 
sojourned here. From such a centre radiates the 
strength and patriotism of the Magyar race. Pressed 
in on the north by Slovaks and Ruthenians, on the 
south and south-west by Croatians and Servians, on 
the south-east by the Wallachs, the Magyars have 
been, so to speak, solidified by ethnological conditions, 
as well as by their own passionate love of race. 

It is agricultural Hungary here, and Debreczen is 
its centre. But it was something more than fertility 
of soil that made Hungary agricultural. About the 
close of the seventeenth century Turkish power ended, 
and Hungary came under the rule of the House of 
Habsburg. This change did not bring any special 
economic improvement. In Hungary the King 
could only impose taxes with the consent of Parlia- 
ment. The nobility were relieved of the duty of tax- 
paying, and Parliament desired to protect the tax- 
paying capacity of the people in the interests of 
the landowners. In Austria the prerogative of ruler 



WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS 71 

was extended, and he was able to impose taxes 
without consulting Parliament. Therefore, as the 
needs of the State grew apace, and perpetual warfare 
depleted its coffers, the ruler and his retinue sought 
the economic development of the " hereditary countries," 
and simply regarded Hungary as a mere granary and 
colony of Austria, thus reducing it to selling its surplus 
to Vienna, and purchasing its necessaries there. The 
King of Hungary being Emperor of Austria, one and 
the same indivisible person, naturally assented to such 
tactics. Parliamentary protests failed, and Hungary 
simply lost the little industry which had survived 
Turkish occupation, and settled down to its future 
as an agricultural country. Personally 1 doubt 
whether any power on earth could at that juncture 
have made it industrial. Something in the composi- 
tion of the Magyar always leads me to associate 
him with agriculture. By temper he is a farmer — and 
a politician. Listen to a group of these top-booted, 
serious-faced Magyars discuss a political problem, 
and the intelligence they bring into the debate is 
astounding. These over-patient souls, whose vision 
seems as boundless as the plain upon which they 
work, have an education that mystifies one ; it is not 
of the schools, scholarly, but of men and matters. 
Of the great, blustering, Western world they know 
little, but they " can do more things and have learnt 
a greater variety of names to express the same thing 
by." Give us a description of a Magyar? This 
was sent from a London paper, and I was expected 
to answer on a view-coloured postcard. But what is 
he like? I can only answer, What is a man like? 
The Magyar is no savage, no tawny gipsy, no dis- 
solute reveller. Hungary is not a howling wilderness, 



72 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

and to it one need not come armed. The Magyar 
is of medium stature, with a skull just above the 
middle size. His head is short, and his face broad 
and inclined towards being oval, guided by a short 
nose and small eyes and ears. As a rule, the Magyar 
mouth is finely cut and the chin oval. Strong and 
luxurious hair, and vigorous moustache, often well 
pointed, with a broad open forehead, and a chest 
denoting great physical endurance and strength. This 
will give some idea of the Magyar. Look at his 
broad palms and the short thumb ! Watch him 
move ! Never but elegantly, activity and strength 
harmonising grandly. But he rarely moves when he 
is able to sit, or walks when a ride is possible. In 
a measure he does lack energy, and this denotes 
little perseverance. He is easily discouraged. The 
Magyar character is a strange compound of habitual 
passivity and melancholy, and great susceptibility 
to excitement. His step is slow, countenance pensive, 
address dignified and imposing — all qualities which 
may suddenly change and give place to an excited 
precipitation. The magnetism of his character results 
from the fact that he is a bundle of extremes. Never 
have I seen either an individual or a nation more 
wonderful in success. You see the character of the 
Magyar emerging from every bar of Hungarian music. 
Patriotism in him is a fetish. To explain or describe 
him adequately is impossible. My dear old friend 
of the hills, how reposefully serious he was, and yet 
what pride of race he would suddenly flare up with ! 
In the " tiszta Magyar " there is nothing mean nor 
deceitful. His hospitality amounts to a disease 
almost. But these noble souls of the plain, these 
peasant farmers, they are a perfect compendium of 



WHERE THE MAGYAR REIGNS 73 

self-respect. It is true the Magyar is hot-tempered, 
and when he roars it is in no uncertain tones. Funda- 
mentally he is serious, and to weep is to capture joy. 
There is also a measure of conservatism about him. 
He dislikes change, and is averse to new conceptions, 
ideas, and methods. Though this is so, he will always 
give you a hearing. Naturally he is a partisan : men 
with such a compound nature cannot avoid it. One 
is always encountering Irish traits in the race. In 
judgment he is invariably right, and his apprehension 
quick. Capable of a huge amount of labour, he 
seems like the man who, though longing for work, 
was no sooner confronted with it than a peculiar 
inability to perform it seized him. " Any time except 
the present " is the motto of many in Hungary. Con- 
versation or pleasure first, business afterwards, is also 
carried to excess, save by the Jews, They reverse it. 
To avoid loving such a race is an impossibility. 
Generosity of nature, tenacity of friendship, combined 
with an enormous capacity for enjoyment, is a trinity 
of virtues which must make for happiness. But the 
race is changing. The movement towards industrial 
experiments progresses. In the nobility one may even 
see the dawning of a desire for commerce. The 
influence of the Turk becomes less every year. 
Whatever may happen in the crowded cities, it seems 
an impossibility to change the character or tempera- 
ment of Hungary's phalanx of strength which is 
focussed upon the great plain. 

Debreczen is not only a Magyar stronghold, but 
the great Protestant headquarters. Here the language 
is spoken in its greatest purity. Nobly rearing its 
head is the Protestant College, the centre of interest 
in Egyhaz ter. A marvellous library of 100,000 



74 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

volumes is stored here, whilst some 2000 students still 
pursue their studies in law and theology. Mingling 
with the crowds of students one may see the inquiring 
sons of the plain and the heroes of Hortobagy. Let 
us visit the home of the latter. 



CHAPTER V 

ON THE GREAT PLAIN 

" Down there on the ocean expanse of the lowlands I am at home, that 
is my world ; my soul is like an eagle freed from prison, when I behold 
the limitless expanse of level country." — Petofi 

THE poet was right. How well he expressed in 
a single sentence all that I put into the last 
chapter ! Petofi sang as a Magyar feels. The puszta 
was his rightful home, for there beats the great heart 
of the race. When first I visited Hortobagy it was 
but to stand amazed. Just imagine the impression 
created by a consciousness of being on a vast plain 
300 square miles in area, the characteristics of 
which are immensity and the cattle from a thousand 
hills. Its very treelessness strikes a silent note of 
appeal. You yearn for a something you are accus- 
tomed to, then when it is not forthcoming settle down 
cheerfully to the absences of the grassy plain, its quaint 
huts like oases, and those picturesque acacia groves. 
Lovers of magnificent sunrises must go to Hortobagy 
whilst the Fata Morgana, which may frequently be 
seen on the puszta in July and August, adds again to 
its attractions. Amid such surroundings the people 
change only slowly, but they do change. In a 
measure the romantic element is disappearing from 
Hungarian life. On the puszta the poetic state is 

75 



76 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

keenly preserved. This prairie-like area is used 
principally for cattle grazing and horsebreeding. 
Yet it is not altogether beyond the sounds of ap- 
proaching civilisation. The lowing of the patient 
oxen, the howl and bark of the shepherds' dogs, the 
tinkling of the cattle bell, and the sharp crack of 
the Csikos whip, all emblems of the pastoral life, 
often blend with the shrill whistle of the train. It 
is surprising, however, how much of the old-time spirit 
and life lurks on the plain. Many tales I was 
told of the Betydr-virtus (brigand spirit), for the 
puszta still has its szegeny-legenyek^ poor fellows whose 
manner of livelihood is not always explainable. Here 
again superstition is rife. My last visit to Hortobagy 
was on a 40 horse-power Mercedes. It was the 
afternoon of the first day's ride from Budapest, and, 
looking at the mileage table that I held in my hand, 
then at the sky, it resolved itself into a race with the 
light ; for Debreczen was the halting-place for the 
night. Unhampered by speed regulations, we exceeded 
68 miles an hour ; yet without any warning, and with 
no real conception of what had happened, we found 
ourselves landed high and dry right in the centre of 
the great plain. Never shall I forget the weird feeling 
which fell like a heavy mantle over all. Four hungry, 
tired souls stranded, and within 40 kilometres of 
Debreczen. On the puszta^ and helpless. Not a soul 
was to be seen, not a sound heard, and only a perfect 
network of tracks to completely baffle a stranger. To 
attempt to move farther without advice would have 
been madness. Lighting our head-lamps, we discovered 
that we were not so very far from the habitation 
of man. Alas ! how deceptive distances are here ! 
Leaving the car, I trudged over a field or so to what 




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ON THE GREAT PLAIN t^ 

I had imagined was a csdrda ; to my sorrow, I found 
it but a shadow of its former self, a vacated, tumble- 
down mass of mud and sticks. The sense of quiet 
the place engendered was positively appalling. Once 
I thought I caught a glimpse of the Betydr- virtus, that 
restless spirit of the Turpin order ; but it vanished, and 
again we were alone. Waiting, tiredly stretched out 
upon the ground, gradually preparing my mind for a 
bed on sweet mother earth, I caught the sound of 
horse's hoofs and apparently coming in our direction. 
Patiently did we await the approach of the csikos. 
Nearer and nearer drew the horse and its companion, 
but one was unable to distinguish the form of either. 
Suddenly the movement ceased and the man dis- 
mounted. I shouted. There was need in my every 
tone, and the answer reverberated with fear. Why 
did not the man advance ? Not an inch farther would 
he come. I asked for advice, and the man, poor 
tremulous soul, asked if I was honest. Calling to me 
to approach him, I did so lamp in hand, for the track 
was very uneven. As I drew nearer I caught sight 
of the typical Magyar, clad in white linen trousers, 
and a dark, reddish-brown, metal-buttoned dolman. 
How strangely he seemed to receive my story, how 
suspicious and inquisitive ! My brain seemed to whirl 
with directions, yet supper and a bed depended upon 
my not forgetting the smallest detail. 

At last, having mentally pocketed the final instruc- 
tions, I stood awaiting an opportunity to thank him, 
when, evidencing his race, the man proceeded to 
describe the impression created in his mind by the 
adventure. With that freedom of expression common 
to the genuine Hungarian, he said that when he first 
beheld a light spreading itself over the plain, he 



78 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

thought it was but some csikSs amusing themselves 
before going home. But on approaching, the single 
light developed into two, and appeared to him as the 
firelit eyes of a strange mammoth beast of evil 
intent. This explained his dismounting. In less 
than two hours we were out of our misery for the 
day ; for, like an Indian, he knew all the side tracks 
with which the plain abounds, and Debreczen hove 
in sight. 

Such represents the difficulties a stranger must 
needs encounter when overtaken by night on the 
plain. Here the cowboy life flourishes to perfection. 
It is another world, ruled over by a kind of governor 
on behalf of the corporation of Debreczen. How 
wonderfully both Jokai and Mikszath have delineated 
the life here ! Step inside the csdrda and watch the 
boys eating their gulyds or making love to the hostess. 
In Hungary one must learn to make love ; it is ex- 
pected. The hideg Angol (cold English) are always 
assailed for their shortcomings in this direction. Take 
another picture. A horse has been borrowed, for the 
robber objects to the term " stolen." One of these 
szegeny legmyek having whirled his fifteen-metre lasso 
amongst the horses, gallops off with his booty, and 
when the poor csikSs awakes, a fast receding speck is 
only to be seen on the horizon. Night again protects 
these highwaymen, and failing night the women-folk 
of the small inns. The spirit of Mexico abounds 
amongst the boys. A distinct code of honour pre- 
vails here. Treachery when discovered is rewarded. 
Fire issuing from the windows and doors of one of the 
small inns reveals the fact that the owner has been 
weighed in the balances and found wanting. I was 
told that the csikos drive away strange animals without 



ON THE GREAT PLAIN 79 

compunction, and at the first offensive word will kill 
a man, if the fokos be in their hands. " A fokos is an 
instrument with the head of a tomahawk, and may be 
used as a walking-stick : it is to the szegeny legcny 
what the sword is to the soldier." Another custom 
is not without its interest. Supposing a csikos under 
the influence of drink unconsciously betrays one of 
his comrades, no sooner has the alcoholic spell spent 
itself than he of his own accord goes to the court and 
submits to the punishment. Again, there is the love- 
duel. It sometimes happens that two men may fall 
in love with the same girl. Report hath it then that 
each go out into the terrible heat of the summer sun 
to fight a death-fight. " Each needs a sure eye 
and a steady hand, for upon one throw of the lasso 
life or death may depend." The two best horses of 
the herd are selected, and each man, ever watchful, 
circles round and round awaiting his opportunity for 
the final throw. To the mere watcher the apparent 
unconcern of the combatants reveals much of character. 
Men who act like this make great soldiers. The 
hissing, the cruel hissing sound of the delivered lasso 
is heard, and in a second it falls on the neck of its 
victim, a cracking sound, a gurgle, then the brave 
soul falls. He has loved and lost. 

In winter the great plain is terrible alike in its 
loneliness as in its coldness. Then you see the csikos 
wrapped up in his unkempt sheepskin dozing around 
the camp fire. Water is scarce, the waterways are 
frozen. Wells — those characteristic Hungarian draw- 
wells — are distant, and when found, good old King Frost 
has often played havoc with the rope and the bucket. 
Therefore your poor, kindly, isolated csikos is driven to 
the csdrda, where he passes the long chill nights in 



So HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

comparative warmth. But there are also shepherds who 
watch their flocks by day and night. They are of quite a 
different type to the csikSs. The insignia of their office 
is not a karikds, but a crook-surmounted staff. It 
was ever a leisurely occupation in all times that of 
tending sheep, and the hours are made to pass swiftly 
by means of carving and music. Originality of design 
is possible where the great world imitators move not 
nor have their being. The stick handles which these 
patient souls carve reveal a new mental world, and, 
crude and simple though they often are, they represent 
the aspirations and feelings of an unknown race in a 
form which amounts to a masterpiece. Sit by the side 
of one of these men when he feels that he must play 
his tilinko, or flute. It is an education, yea more, a 
religious service. With closed eyes he sees pictures, 
and in plaintive notes makes you feel what he has 
seen. You soon discover the ancestors of his actions. 
That village over the hills, the plastered cottage by the 
stream, the grey-haired parents, the maiden who jilted 
him, or the sweet soul who loved and died. A scant, 
restricted language that he speaks ; for a variety of 
words and phrases is not needed on the puzta, yet the 
depth of human feeling he is able to draw from his 
shepherd's pipe is absorbing and enchanting. The 
man standing over him enwrapped in wonderment, 
with mind carried far away by the strange sounds, is 
the Gulyds, or cattleherd. There is something of the 
aristocrat about this man. He has a manner with 
him. At the csdrda he is found seated next the csikos. 
Once a year this strange and fascinating crowd troop 
into Debreczen to do their shopping, and a holiday 
indeed is made of the outing. Protestant Debreczen 
then wears a gay aspect, and the sounds of mirth- 



ON THE GREAT PLAIN 8i 

fulness mingle with those of barter. Magyarism in 
excelsis. Patriotism unbounded. In the distant past 
and the near present this marketing made Debreczen 
famous. Hungary's intelligence foregathered here. I 
was told that this market was the forlorn hope of the 
young girls. " She who had not become betrothed 
either at the ball at Mad, or at the parish fair of 
Pocs, could only hope for a husband at the famous 
Debreczen market." Let me recommend the 
Debreczen sausages, for there is no mystery con- 
cerning the quality of these. One of the greatest 
pork industries of the land flourishes here. To see the 
town at its best one must be there when a fair is in 
progress. These fairs usually last a fortnight, and 
take place four times a year. It is a pandemonium 
sometimes. Shouting hucksters, clattering crockery, 
merry unloosed tongues, fiery gipsy music, and the 
hissing of the spit upon which turns the famous " gipsy 
roast." On such days experiences and impressions 
crowd in upon one. A snapping of whips and you 
may behold the " five-in-hand." Here is another 
Debreczen speciality. Ribboned steeds draw a coach, 
from the top of which a portly figure, pipe in mouth, 
manipulates the reins and conveys visitors of distinction 
to and from the station. Inexhaustible are the native 
beauties this town produces. Its one outstanding 
feature is that it is pure Hungarian. Just as I was 
leaving for the wild beauty of Maramaros county, it 
was whispered in my ear that the first voluntary fire 
brigade in Europe was organised by the Protestant 
students of Debreczen. Though even now far from the 
West in many ways, Hungary has made contributions 
to civilisation which ought to be known. 

What a change it was from the rigid uniformity of 
6 



82 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Debreczen and the Alfold to pass into that bewildering 
atmosphere of Maramaros county ! Ethnographical 
combinations appear to thrive here — Ruthenians, 
Roumanians, Germans, Magyars, Gipsies, Slovaks, 
Armenians, and Jews. The train journey was not 
particularly interesting. But as a county it is full of 
fascination. If you are in search of really exciting hunt- 
ing experiences, the magnificent forests of Maramaros 
will supply any such need. Real, savage bears may 
be found here, and the lynx is often to be met. I was 
promised a sight of both these animals on their native 
heath, but for some reason or other neither of them 
could be induced to show their face the day I ventured 
out gun in hand. Perhaps it was wise, and for me 
certainly safer. It is a wild region. Art and literature 
never push very far out here. It may be that it is too 
near the Galician frontier. I made Maramaros Sziget, 
the county town, my headquarters. Living was good, 
people were most kindly, and Baron Perenyi an ideal 
Lord Lieutenant and a charming host. Most towns 
of this order have something special to show. Here I 
could see salt-mines. Ronaszek was a sweetly pretty 
little village not far from Maramaros Sziget, and 
situated well up on the mountains. On arrival a set 
of overalls was provided, together with a weird-shaped 
cap, and in a very few moments I was standing in 
the cage waiting to be lowered into the mine. 
The picture that met my view at the bottom was 
astounding. If the visit to the ice-cavern had 
produced a feeling of being in fairyland, this feeling 
was intensified a hundredfold by rushing sensations 
that flooded into my mind. Here was a spacious 
hall, all hewn out of the solid white salt rock. Its 
proportions were tremendous. From a raised platform 



ON THE GREAT PLAIN 83 

a military band pounded out some strange affecting 
air. It seemed all like another world. The marble, 
crystal-like formations, the expanse of whiteness, the 
strangely garbed folk that hovered near each group of 
workers, and the echoing vastness of the place, excited 
curiosity yet awed one. Strange tones of palpitating 
earnestness issued from a young priest who deigned to 
descend thus far into the depths. His companion, a 
lady of gentle birth and stately mien, heeded not the 
love-lurking sentences, but with eye fixed upon an 
inscription was bent upon hearing the story of heroism 
the tablet represented — a simple mining martyr. 
Treading lightly, as if fearing to disturb the rich 
formations, a lake was reached, upon which stood a 
raft, from which a kindly pilot steered. Into the 
briny deep — for it was both these — one threw stones, 
and the sound issuing from such an act was as of a 
hundred guns unloosed. Wonderful as were all the 
sights and sounds mother earth disclosed that day, 
there was none comparable with the view of greenness, 
of high mountains, fresh sweet air laden with the 
perfume of a hundred flowers, and the ineffable placidity 
of life, which greeted one when the borrowed plumes 
were exchanged for kindlier garments. There is a 
disposition in most people to see things that are 
famous, and I am glad that I visited the Ronaszek 
mines. Undoubtedly the working of these mines was 
commenced in prehistoric times. The mine is 114 
metres deep, and its annual output is 20,000 tons of 
pure salt and 10,000 tons of mixed salt. On the 
homeward journey, a begging monk, crucifix in hand, 
collected all my small coin. He was a picturesque 
figure, and seemed to be doing very well. For the 
first time I met some of the real Oldh types. There 



84 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

was a regular ancient Briton look about the faces of 
the men, and they were clad for the most part in 
white. One of them had a kind of red waist-band, as 
if to show man in two parts. His hair was such as 
old-time poets cultivated, and musicians in these latter 
days. And on his head he wore a hat which from 
close observation one could tell was originally black in 
colour. Its shape baffles me even now. His feet were 
sandalled, and in such a manner that to unpractised 
feet walking would be an impossibility. Others flung 
across their shoulders mantles of sheepskin. The women- 
folk wore more colour, but were not more picturesque. 
They were cleanly-looking, robust women, resplendent 
in a variety of petticoats and a handsome sleeveless 
vest embroidered with elaborate designs, such as one 
sees in no other country, this last article surmounted — 
and obtaining much by way of contrast — by a spotlessly 
white long-sleeved blouse. Even the men wore white 
petticoats. The Magyars used to contemptuously 
describe these as a people who let their shirts hang 
out. Hungary is prodigal with her hats, for never 
have I beheld such ambiguity before. If you would 
behold shapelessness to perfection, gaze at an Olah hat. 
The time never seems to appear for discarding them, 
and their uses are legion. For another reason I shall 
always remember my initial visit to Maramaros Sziget. 
It was there that I first witnessed a Hungarian play. 
Jdnos Vitez, or " John the Hero," was written by 
Petofi, not for the stage, however, but the poet gained 
much by its dramatisation. In a Hungarian company 
there are no sticks. True, the dramatic instinct is not 
as deeply set as in Russia, but it is present always. 
Without understanding a single word, one may follow 
the story quite easily. Janos the sad-eyed shepherd, 



ON THE GREAT PLAIN 8$ 

pretty Iluska, the wicked stepmother, Bago the piper 
who tried to play Janos into hope and good spirits, 
Janos as a Hussar, the despairing Emperor, the slaying 
of the Turks, and the winning of Iluska. The music 
was sweetly pretty, and when, some months after, I saw 
this play again in Budapest with the famous Slovak 
actress Sarah Fedak as Iluska, my mind went back to 
the simpler men and maidens who performed at the 
country theatre. First impressions hang closely to 
one, and one of the dearest is my first play in 
Hungary. 

In Mdramaros county some idea of the mineral 
variety Hungary abounds in may be gathered. Now 
a strong effort is being made to discover oil-fields, and 
once this becomes a working fact the sun of Hungary's 
prosperity will rise still higher. Agriculture also 
occupies the attention of many in the county, and 
timber is plentiful though apparently not exploited. 

Though a native of Nagy Szalonta, on the Alfold, 
it will not be out of keeping to introduce here John 
Arany, Hungary's greatest epic poet. In the summer 
before Queen Victoria came to the throne in England, 
an uneven company of players strolled into this little 
Northern town of Mdramaros Sziget. As a profession 
acting was not regarded as exalted in those days. 
Occasionally it happened, however, that one or more 
of the company would be of some good family. Even 
to-day a theatrical company is full of contrasts of 
birth and breeding. Arany was nineteen when he 
embarked upon the tour, and a pale-faced youth at 
that, with all the marks of " the student " about him. 
Debreczen had housed him and schooled him, his 
successes awakening pride in the heart of the professors 
there, when suddenly the black gown was discarded 



86 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

for grease paints and masks. Poetry and art burned 

within him a consuming fire, but Arany soon discovered 

that the altar he desired to sacrifice himself upon was 

not the stage. He was a born poet, for in the whole 

Alfold the people of Szalonta have perhaps the 

greatest number of historical legends — of Toldi, 

the Turkish world, and of the Kurucz wars. There 

was tragedy and comedy in those trying days, when, 

seeking to express himself, or worship the muses, he 

was found copying the playbills and carrying them 

round to people's houses afterwards. See him 

struggling with torn, dilapidated scenery, master of 

the thunder, lamp-lighter; then, when the curtain he 

had painted rang down on the final scene, and, when, 

the applause had faded away, gathering the warmer 

garments of the theatrical wardrobe, and the remains 

of the footlight candles, he was found night-watchman 

reading Horace. Awakening to the futility of all 

such acts before it was too late, and seized also with 

despondency, he wandered out every day into those 

marvellous pine forests on the banks of the Iza, 

on the outskirts of Mdramaros Sziget. Inspired by 

a dream, he decided to return home, and, with a small 

loaf of bread and some bacon, he commenced the 

long tramp to the Alfold. Just before nightfall he 

encountered a number of carts carrying salt from 

Ronaszek, and he slept round the fire made by 

the carters. Disappointed, tired, hungry, uncertain 

at every step as to the justification of his act, he 

persevered until Debreczen was reached. Often he 

was regarded as a tramp, an outcast. Seeking the 

mean streets, he feared meeting a schoolmate. 

Arriving home, his acquaintances scorned him, or 

met him with derision, His father had become 



ON THE GREAT PLAIN 87 

blind, and his mother, o'erjoyed at again beholding 
her boy, lived but a few weeks after his arrival. 
Triumph, however, was only delayed, and genius was 
not destroyed. All this struggle added to the great- 
ness of the man, and enhanced his contribution to 
literature. Arany created typical Magyar characters. 
" The chief features of his poetry are its realism and 
its pondering over the past. It is remarkable that 
so much objectivity and sobriety should be blended 
with such strong and deep feeling." He is best 
known by his Toldi, for it was perhaps " the first 
epic in which subject, language, and characters were 
all popular." It was full of colour and life ; the old 
and time-worn expressions of the versifiers of his 
time were missing, and new figures captured the 
poetic sense. Lost Coitstitution is a satirical epic 
in hexameters. Gyulai termed him the Shakespeare 
of ballad. He does not declaim and discuss, but 
stimulates imagination by employing it, and feeling 
through feeling. In his lyrics the same spirit enters. 
Arany trembles with more violent passion when he 
soars with his reflections into the highest regions of 
the human mind, as for instance in his Dante, and 
gives a noble sublimity to his national feelings and 
sentiments in his Ssechenyi ode. His style had a 
fulness which lent itself to delivery, and this, combined 
with his fidelity of observation and uplifting ideas, 
made him a notable contributor to the language and 
character of the race. One of his ballads is called 
The Bards of Wales, but the significance is Hungarian 
though the subject is English. During the sad days 
of the Bac/i era in Hungarian politics, the poets were 
approached to compose an ode embodying the merits 
of the absolute monarch. Be it for ever written to 



88 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

their credit, these stout sons of Hungary refused the 
enticing sums offered. The scorn with which Arany 
met the bribers is found in The Bards of Wales. 
Of such metal as this Hungary's poets have been 
made. 

Never do I recall this first play in Maramaros 
Sziget without conjuring up some vision of Arany. 
Strolling one morning into the big square in which 
is focussed much of the business and no little of the 
gaiety, I was simply astounded at the number of 
Galician Jews that hovered around like birds on a 
battlefield. Something always strikes me as unpleasant 
about these people, with their long curls and dirt- 
bestrewed black garments. Few towns in Hungary 
can boast of a greater proportion of Jews than 
Maramaros Sziget. Besides these aliens were many 
Ruthenians. These must have arrived in Hungary 
between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, and 
settled for some time in the north-eastern highlands, 
where they avoided the strenuous life. Quite a number 
of Germans have been absorbed by these people, 
whilst, on the other hand, many have become Magyars 
and Slovaks. In the south-west they were peculiarly 
sensitive to Magyar influences, and easily succumbed. 
The Ruthenian settlements are in Bacs-Bodrog and 
Szer^m counties. These Ruthenians as a rule are 
short of stature, not given to great strength of body, 
fond of corn-brandy, and meagrely fed on potatoes 
and maize. Fond of their cattle, they live in wretched 
hovels with them. Poor, illiterate, but well-disposed, 
they excite one's pity, and seem to suffer from neglect. 
This problem of the nationalities Hungary as the 
dominant partner is always being called upon to 
adjudicate. For months I struggled to obtain some 



ON THE GREAT PLAIN 89 

idea of the reasons adducible for such a comparatively 
small number of Magyars. Assimilation was deterred 
by great national catastrophes and long and devastat- 
ing wars. Hungary was employed in waging war, 
rather than by generous methods attempting to in- 
corporate into herself the foreign elements which 
settled in her midst. What other country could have 
survived three hundred years of war with the Turks 
and a century and a half of Turkish occupation ? Is 
it to be wondered at that the Eastern continually peeps 
out ? The bulk of this fighting fell upon the Magyars, 
hence the depletions were more felt by them than by 
the other nationalities. Turkey has much to answer 
for. Nothing in history points to forcible Magyarisa- 
tion. Tolerance often becomes a vice, and of this 
quality the Magyar race is well endowed. Truly 
there is but one nation, the Hungarian nation, a 
nation composed of not one but many races. As to 
the Jewish element, it was Charles Keleti who ex- 
pressed himself thus : " By the mixture of the Magyar 
and the Jew our country will gain a race which the 
more it multiplies the more firmly we shall be assured 
as to the permanence of the country. If intelligence 
and force, capacity for labour and activity are united, 
those elements are mixed together for producing an 
honest, rich, and powerful nation to dwell in the land." 
Such a rainbow-hued group of nationalities must needs 
beget a distinct linguistic atmosphere and produce 
situations of extreme difficulty. The late Professor 
Patterson used to tell a story of being taken one day 
by one of the citizens of a certain town to dine with 
a friend of his. Of the languages of the country the 
gentleman who introduced him — and himself — spoke 
only German and Hungarian. There were, besides, 



go HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

at table, two Wallachs from the military frontier. 
Of these one spoke only his mother-tongue, conse- 
quently his efforts at social intercourse were restricted 
to smiling and looking amiable. The other knew 
both Servian and German, but no Hungarian. It 
was thus impossible for the whole of the party to 
enter into general conversation. This in some manner 
represents the necessity sometimes for an extensive 
repertory. But to leave these children of strange 
tongues was difficult, for I soon grew to love their 
strange habits and stranger customs. Of these more 
anon. 




EVENING IN BUDA 



CHAPTER VI 

BUDAPEST AND ART 

" 'Tis the privilege of Art 

Thus to play its cheerful part, 

Man in Earth to acclimate, 

And bend the exile to his fate." — Emerson 

LONG sojourning in the highlands of Hungary 
in a measure unfitted me for the journey from 
Maramaros Sziget to Budapest. Yet to it I came 
with a mind eager to receive its myriad impressions. 
Budapest has never really disappointed me. It is of 
towns, towny. Many things I have grown to dislike, 
but others to love more. When I first arrived it 
struck me as better than I expected — and I had 
expected much. Now that I know the byways, and 
can unattended find my way through its less frequented 
avenues of communication, it seems to need a less 
oratorical municipal council. Despite this national 
weakness, the city is justly styled Budapest the 
Beautiful. It is the capital, and forces are continually 
emanating from it which are but dimly realised in the 
districts I have already described. Here is much of 
the history, and all the machinery of the nation. 
When the first Englishman visited Budapest it is said 
that his interpreter was a Turk, for the Sick Man of 
the East held court at Buda. To-day the favourite 



92 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

language is English. No city in Europe has grown 
more rapidly than Budapest, and the impress of hurry 
is seen. It is interesting because it is so unlike other 
cities. No city that I know of has cleaner streets. 
With a population of 900,000, it is steadily rising to 
importance, and will ere long challenge the supremacy 
of Vienna as the only habitable spot in the Dual 
Monarchy. In area it covers about 20,000 hectares, 
an hectare being 2.471 acres. The history of this 
area fascinates one. From the period of the Avars 
and the Slavs you get the names Buda and Pest. 
In what is known to-day as Old Buda stood the 
ancient city of Ak-ink ; whilst in the second century 
after Christ the Roman city of Aquincum was founded, 
and it at one time occupied the same site in O-Buda. 
This old city had varying fortunes, and was subjected 
to a multitude of rulers. The migration of peoples 
disturbed its stability, and it was governed in turn by 
Avars, Goths, Huns, and Slavs. History is silent 
concerning much of the past, but one thing is certain, 
that only when the Hungarians penetrated to Buda did 
any measure of progress exhibit itself. A monument 
at the foot of the Elizabeth Bridge points eloquently 
to an historical episode of this era. It is that of 
Gerard, Bishop of Csandd, who was precipitated from the 
Gell^rthegy into the Danube " by pagan Hungarians." 
As far back as 1 1 5 6 Buda boasted of a royal castle. 
What it was like I know not, but the royal palace 
which proudly rears its white walls from its magnificent 
situation to-day is unequalled in Europe. Alas ! the 
King cometh not. Visitors are shown daily the 
gorgeous apartments where the Magyars expected 
Francis Joseph would spend much of his time. The 
ways of kings, like governments, are past finding out. 



BUDAPEST AND ART 93 

Whilst the old palace at Buda was filled with gay 
courtiers, and the songs of revelry were heard in the 
twelfth century, and sombre - hued monks with 
clasped hands and upcast eyes walked in the priory 
gardens, Pest was assuming commercial proportions, 
though by means of a large Bulgarian population. 
In 1 24 1 the Tartars overthrew everything that had 
been built, and a year later Buda shared the fate 
of Pest. Some eight years later, Buda, then of real 
importance, possessed a military governor. Curiously 
enough, the first Parliament met in 1286 on the 
Rakosmezo, near Pest. This is a landmark. Follow- 
ing the decease of Louis the Great, the two cities, 
jealous perhaps of the importance of the one and the 
prosperity of the other, commenced a series of quarrels 
which fortunately did not end seriously. Sigismund's 
sympathies went out to Pest, seeing that, being 
commercial, it was able to lend him money. This 
meant a reduction of the privileges which were the 
proud boast of Buda. Antipathy again sought its 
ends. Pest in the meantime profited by the kindliness 
of Sigismund. It was made an autonomous town, 
with power to elect its own judge and sheriffs. At 
Buda the task of rebuilding the royal palace was 
proceeded with by foreign architects. The golden age 
of Matthias saw both Buda and Pest surrounded by 
defensive walls, but Buda the centre of learning, gaiety, 
and courtliness. Then followed Mohacs, and the 
taking and retaking of the city, the unrest, the 
pillaging, the ruins, hope and faith destroyed. What 
survived ? Comparatively nothing. When, however, 
things had quieted down a bit, the great pestilence 
visited Pest in 1709, doing more havoc than all the 
Turkish troops. The recuperative capacity of Hungary 



94 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

has been marvellous. Under Maria Theresa, who, 
despite the fact that she did something to undermine 
the constitutional rights of the Magyars, the pontoon 
bridge was built connecting the two cities. Evidently 
she preferred government without Parliament, for in 
forty years she only called the Diet together twice. 
The removal of the University from Buda to Pest under 
Joseph II. was an evidence of the growth of the city 
and a consciousness of its great future. Joseph never 
once summoned a Diet. He was a man who made 
a revolution where only a reform was needed. The 
real builder of the city was not a king but a noble, 
a daring, experimenting soul, who, realising the 
inherent vices of his countrymen, sought by individual 
effort and practical exhibition to point to a way which 
if trod would lead to national prosperity. To increase 
the material condition of Hungary was the aim of 
Count Stephen Szechenyi. He saw the need of a 
common purpose and a common opinion. Appealing 
to those of his time, he said : " Seek what is practical, 
depend on yourselves for your reforms, and keep well 
in mind that the star of Hungary's glory has yet to 
shine." Poor sensitive soul ! when the ideals of his 
life were nearing realisation, when at last the entire 
country was pulling a long stroke in the boat of 
commerce, he was seized with the fear that his country 
intended to drift into another Revolution, so on Easter 
Sunday i860 he shot himself. 

In one of his diaries the following was found : " The 
Germans write much, the French talk much, and the 
English do much." Bentham was his political guide, 
and, in order to make himself fully acquainted with 
the making of machinery, he entered one of our 
English factories in 1832, and did the work of a 



BUDAPEST AND ART 95 

common workman. A noble example which has never 
been followed in Hungary. So long separated, some- 
times by parochial jealousies, at others by the caprice 
of monarchs, and always by the royal Danube, in 
1872 a law v/as passed enacting that from henceforth 
Buda, (3-Buda, and Pest should be known as Budapest, 
the capital of the kingdom of Hungary. Some 
twenty-one years later the final step was taken, and 
it became a royal city, equalling in rank gay Vienna. 
The city which has survived the repeated ravages of 
the Turks, the great pestilence, the inundation and 
the Revolution, is not likely to pass into obscurity 
or remain stationary. To-day the West calls in a 
hundred tones, and slowly perhaps, but certainly, 
Budapest responds. Is it a great city ? What is a 
great city ? Listen to Walt Whitman : — 

" The great city is that which has the greatest man or woman ; 

If it be a few ragged huts, it is still the greatest city in the world. 

The place where the great city stands is not the place of stretch'd 
wharves, docks, manufactures, deposits of produce. 

Nor the place of ceaseless salutes of new comers, or the anchor- 
lifters of the departing, 

Nor the place of the tallest and costliest buildings, or shops selling 
goods from the rest of the earth, 

Nor the place of the best libraries and schools — nor the place where 
money is plentiest, 

Nor the place of the most numerous population. 

Where the city of the faithfulest friends stands ; 
Where the city of cleanliness of the sexes stands ; 
Where the city of the healthiest fathers stands ; 
Where the city of the best-bodied mothers stands, 
There the great city stands." 

Budapest is a great city by comparison, and by 
persevering progress. Greatness here takes another 
form of expression, the ideal being yet away in the 



96 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

distance. Leaving Belgrad, Bucarest, or Sofia, 
Budapest appeals to one as great. It is so new, 
one may almost smell the paint and the lime in the 
mortar of its joints. If a special phase of architecture 
is expected, or a highly developed school of painting, 
then one fears that disappointment awaits you. 
Magnificent, and one might almost say gorgeous, 
buildings have been thrown heavenwards on the once 
yellow plain of sand called Pest. The things one 
sees and feels in Italy and Greece, Paris and Moscow, 
take centuries of cultivation and preservation. One 
might even doubt the glorious age of Matthias Corvinus 
were the Corvina codexes not forthcoming, so robbed 
was Hungary of those things which are the renown of 
the places just mentioned. Architecture is usually 
the first thing which appeals to the visitor. He 
expects originality in abundance in every new country. 
Where music, song, and dance is national, he is not sur- 
prised at floridity, but he seeks something else as well. 
Architecture, save in a few special cases, was compelled 
to limit itself to the satisfaction of imperative need in 
past centuries. Therefore you find the rococo style 
in the Buda Palace, and the classical tendency working 
itself out in the National Museum. In the Opera, 
Basilica, and the Custom-house, the genius of Nicholas 
Ybl, Hungary's foremost architect, was expended. The 
very rapidity at which buildings were erected militated 
against the development of a definite style. Con- 
tributions were, however, made by Steindl, Hauszmann, 
Czigler, and Schulek. In painting and sculpture 
Budapest has something to show. Here again 
Hungary suffered more in art than in literature ; 
to-day, perhaps, she suffers more from literature than 
art. Be it for ever remembered that Durer was a 



BUDAPEST AND ART 97 

descendant of the Ajt6s family which had emigrated 
from the county of Bekes. Even to-day the restless- 
ness of genius and the " eternal wantlessness " of the 
homeland drives the artist to foreign lands. No 
good market, no large field for labour. Hungary has 
lost many of her artistic great in this way. Manyoky 
studied in Paris and Holland, then became court- 
painter to the King of Poland in 17 12, and finally 
died at Dresden. Augustus Trefort, feeling the 
shameful void caused by an absence of artistic taste 
in Hungarian society, pulled the nation together, 
established the first Art Union, which did much to 
give an impetus to his ambition. As Minister of 
Education Trefort deserves special mention for services 
to art at this critical juncture. In 1870 Keleti was 
instrumental in establishing the first School of Art, 
alongside of which a partner was soon found in the 
School of Painting. Individuality craved isolation, 
hence a definite Hungarian school is yet in the 
making.^ Meszoly, Szekely, Munkacsy, Laszlo Paal, 
and Szinyei-Merse, all attest the truth of this. Great 
as they were, they founded no school. What stood 
in the way of this ? Some say that it was that spirit 
of individual independence which enshrines the Magyar 
race. Temperament was the stumbling-block, which 
even close association and companionship, together 
with deep friendship, never passed over. Again it was 
each for himself, and Europe for us all. Politics, too, 
left its impress upon art. Historical subjects were 
plentiful. Paintings were full of political allusions, 
and the days of the nation's glory never failed to 

^ The Godollo School of Painting is absokitely modern, and modelled 
upon the lines of Herkomer's school at Bushey. It is one of the best 
Hungary has to show in this direction. 

7 



98 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

create a profound impression upon public opinion, 
to which art often yields. One feels the artist 

" yearning like a god in pain," 

as Keats beautifully sings, remembering past wrongs. 
Both Rahl and Piloty influenced to some degree the 
artistic temperament of the young Magyars. The 
former found his field in allegorical treatment, the 
latter in realism and romanticism. Than, Lotz, 
Benczur, Szekely, and Szinyei-Merse were distinguished 
representatives of these schools. The ceiling of the 
Opera-house by Lotz is reminiscent of his master. 
Than is seen at his best in the frescoes of the Central 
Railway Station. Szinyei-Merse, though a pupil of 
Piloty's, broke away from his master and his com- 
panions, and went in for colour effects such as Nature 
provides. It was the redness of the wild red poppies 
and the luxuriant green of the grass that thrilled him. 
In after years, when he became the intimate friend of 
Arnold Bocklin, this desire to throw upon canvas the 
power and strength of colours was accentuated. In 
all Hungarian painting there is temperament Two 
pictures which have always fascinated me in the 
Picture Gallery are by Benczur and Szekely. " The 
Baptism of St. Stephen " by the former is a national 
masterpiece, whilst equally valuable is the historical 
contribution of Szekely's " The Finding of the Unfortu- 
nate King of Hungary," Louis II., who perished at 
Mohacs. Benczur is a leader amongst painters. 
Another painting of his which perhaps does not enjoy 
so great a reputation, but which never fails in arresting 
the attention of all, is " The Christening of Vajk." The 
colouring, grouping, and feeling thrown into this 
picture is extraordinary. There is perhaps not that 



BUDAPEST AND ART 99 

variety of facial expression significant of Munkdcsy, 
but it addresses the feelings rather than the intellect, 
Szekely in his masterpiece contents himself with a less 
crowded canvas, but a canvas into which steals that 
mystic something that " doth stir the airy part of us." 
But there is another Szekely to see, or another branch 
of art in which the man unfolds himself. Later years 
saw Sz6kely as the great fresco painter. In the grand 
church of P^cs and the Matthias Church at Buda 
wonderful specimens of his skill are to be found. 
Amongst the great dead yet living is Munkacsy. 
Hungarian art was first really appreciated in England 
through the medium of this master spirit. So pro- 
lific was he, so diverse in treatment, and yet so great, 
that he became the Jokai of art. In Munkacsy one 
saw again the unbound fresh temperament. It was 
the great world outside Budapest that awakened this, 
not the mere art in the man. Hungary would have 
crippled him, clipped his wings so that neither he nor 
his genius, nor even Hungarian art, would have gained 
that importance which travel invested it with. Whilst 
a scholar he painted " The Convict's Last Days," a 
picture that captivated the Paris Salon. Leaving 
purely national subjects, he won everlasting and 
universal fame by his religious pictures — " Christ before 
Pilate," "Golgotha," and " Ecce Homo." These are 
known the whole world o'er, and did more for bringing 
into notice Hungary and its art than anything else. 
Munkacsy plied his brush with broad gestures in the 
inspiration of the moment, independently of the object 
which he painted, yet never once destroyed the intense 
humanness and wealth of feeling each individual 
possessed. That artistic excitement which we in our 
pagan language sometimes call " soul " is found in all his 



lOO HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

work. As you enter the new Art Gallery you are 
confronted by his largest canvas, and in some respects 
the most striking. " The Conquest of the Land " is an 
imposing example of Munkacsy's facial repertory. 
Close beside his work in the Art Gallery may be found 
that of another of those wandering souls who found the 
atmosphere of Budapest too stifling and sought a more 
sympathetic home in Paris. Laszl6 Padl, even now, is 
not appreciated as he should be. Barbizonian influences 
told upon his work. Paal found an outlet for his 
genius in painting trees. Gazing at his work, you feel 
the life of a tree, its expression changing with the 
seasons, as a man. Now 

" wearing 
Autumn's gaudy livery, whose gold 
Her jealous brother pilfers," 

or listening to the plane tree whispering some tale of 
love to the pine, catching at the same moment 

" The odor of leaves, and of grass, and of newly upturned earth." 

Alas ! Padl died at thirty-two, but his work remains. 
Feszti is another who sought expression in historical 
subjects. His "Entry of the Hungarians under Arpad " 
is a colossal picture. In the school of realism Zichy 
rises high above his contemporaries, and his talent 
gained much by the long sojurn in St. Petersburg, 
where he lived as court-painter. Of portrait painters 
Hungary is not, or never was scant. Their number 
is legion. Benczur, Horowitz, Vastagh, Ballo, 
Karlovszky, and Philip Laszl6, to mention just a few. 
In London the work of Laszlo is known best, and the 
commission to paint the portrait of King Edward VII. 
is the crowning effort of his genius, Hungarian artists 
prefer the incidents of common life, and here they 



BUDAPEST AND ART loi 

undoubtedly score. A good example of this order is 
found in Bihari's " Before the Judge." Much of 
Hungarian painting is genre. The varied phases of 
painting are well represented by Vago, Margittay, 
Pataky, Nadler, Csok, Jendrasik, and Tornay. In the 
realm of landscape painting candidates for honour have 
always been scarce. Meszoly was one of the first to 
tear himself away from the limitations of the Academies. 
Both he and Marko won fame, and Keleti, Telepy, 
Mednyanszky painted with no uncommon feeling. 
Italy again made its contribution to Hungarian art, for 
Marko visited that land when it had left " behind its 
mummified Byzantine origin," and turned once more to 
Nature. Meszoly, a leader in modern landscape 
painting, made a speciality of Lake Balaton. In these 
pictures, so full of real poetry and yet so simple, and 
all toned by peculiar melancholy, one recognises the 
modern spirit at work. He was attracted not by 
expansive effects, for these never moved him. But he 
could not remain indifferent to the soft colour reflec- 
tions the lake shed, the still rushes, and the picturesque 
huts. Thus he opened up to Hungarian art Hungary, 
with some of its less intimate traits, employing not so 
much colour as fine drawing and perfect tone. 
Another young industrious painter, Akos Tolnay, is 
steadily striding into notice and renown.^ Of capable 
women painters Hungary is scant. Amongst those 
worthy of mention may be named the Countess Nemess, 
Ida Konek, Wilhelmina Parlaghy, and Madame 
Sikorska, who is much less known than she should 
be, several of her landscapes being far above the 
average. Engraving and illustration are now receiving 

^ I had almost forgotten the rich impressionistic work of Kacziany, which 
has reached an unusually high standard, some of which is really marvellous. 



I02 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

serious attention, and colour reproduction comes on 
apace. Sculpture has very little historical background. 
Not much survived the severe national struggle. The 
stone and marble statues were burnt to lime and chalk, 
whilst the barbarians made cannon of the bronze 
figures. A few primitive reliefs leading to the crypt 
of the church at Pecs, more reliefs at Gyulafehervar, 
and the rich ornamental work at Jak. Not until the 
middle of the nineteenth century did sculpture again 
begin to assert itself. Its two pioneers, Ferenczy and 
Engel, were regarded as possessing the essential spark 
of genius. The former owed much to public feeling, 
whilst the latter gained some distinction by his mytho- 
logical female figures. His monument of Szechenyi 
is generally regarded as a failure. Izsos' work at 
Debreczen is worthy of remembrance. At the death 
of Huszar, an opportunity was given to Strobl and 
Zala, men capable of achieving European renown. In 
the monument in front of the National Museum Strobl 
beautifully portrayed Arany the poet, whilst Zala rose 
in eminence by the Andrassy statue before the 
Parliament House. To-day a younger school is rising 
into power, Ligeti, Teles, and Szamovolsky, and they 
all bid fair to eclipse the deeds wrought in stone by 
their ancestors. There are other branches of art 
flourishing, but these I intend to deal with in connection 
with the distinct towns and villages in which they 
flourish. It is obvious that Hungary is not a wild 
land, devoid of those feelings which lead communities 
and nations into the broad daylight of modern civilisa- 
tion. On the contrary, there are stored up in Budapest 
ample evidences of those qualities without which no 
nation may claim greatness — infinite patience and 
perseverance in art and literature, if not in other things, 



BUDAPEST AND ART 103 

a marvellous capacity for recovery, and a sterling sense 
of independence which should eventually lead to an 
awakening consciousness of greatness. 

There is, however, yet lacking that intellectual 
tingling in the atmosphere of Budapest that one 
finds in other large cities. It is easily explainable. 
To-day there is too much politics and too little 
practical idealism. Victor Hugo said : — 

" It is necessary that the ideal should be breathable, 
drinkable, and eatable to the human mind. It is the 
ideal which has the right to say, ' Take, this is my 
body, this is my blood.'" 

Budapest the Beautiful — yes, it is true ! One must 
only walk along the Corso and gaze at the Buda bank 
to realise how beautiful it all is. A temperate climate, 
drinkable water, ready means of communication, cheap 
theatres, beautiful parks, a prolific Press, unlimited 
music, never-ending cafes, grand baths, plentiful supply 
of churches, museums galore, what more can mere 
man desire ? If I ask the Hungarian workman in 
Budapest this question to-day, he will answer. More 
money and the vote. Ere long I prophesy he will 
have both these. Living is expensive, and the English 
murmur, Give me the advantages of Free Trade. 
Hotels are numerous, but few are convenient. The 
best by a long way is the Hungaria, though the 
Bristol is not far behind. Apartments vary in price 
and cleanliness, and that absurd system of paying to 
come in or go out after ten o'clock at night is still 
in vogue. It is time this relic of barbarism was 
abolished. Quite a number of cheap good restaurants 
may be found. Alas ! in all one must tip. In 
Hungary in most places it is a threefold tip that is 
needed. One to the pay waiter who brings you your 



I04 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

bill, one to the waiter who should see you are filled, 
and one to the little boy who brings you your drink. 
In the less ornate restaurant you may give ten filler 
to the pay waiter, ten filler to the waiter, and three 
filler to the boy. Double this in the swagger places. 
Cafes are a feature of Budapest. Some of these are 
simply wonderful in design and ornamentation. Home- 
life is reduced to a minimum here. The cafe is the 
meeting-place, it is the school for scandal — alas ! how 
well I know it ! In the morning men monopolise 
it, in the afternoon and early evening women 
predominate, whilst again at night men are found 
in profusion. It is a social institution. Here one 
finds all the newspapers, and they are fundamentally 
reading rooms. The individual paper buyer, save those 
of the revolver press, are few indeed. In Budapest 
the coffee-house is the best customer the publisher has. 
Here, morning, afternoon, and night, may be found 
the life of Budapest. Streets often deserted and 
empty, not a soul to be seen but the proverbial cat. 
Cafes ablaze with light, and abounding in conversation 
and music. Gipsy music, or a ladies' band ? Which 
you like. Peep into one. It has an atmosphere 
peculiarly its own. Is it found in bizarre decoration, 
quaint spandrils, voluptuous architecture, or prodigality 
of colouring ? No ! Luxuriousness fosters sensuous- 
ness, and without that impulsiveness and capacity 
for impressions which borders upon error yet remains 
aloof from it, one is unable to adequately apprehend 
the full mystery of the Magyar spirit. You enter 
for coffee ; you are given an inspiration. What in 
most places in Europe is a commonplace is in Budapest 
a speciality. With your coffee comes a glass of 
delightfully cold, clear water. You gaze at both for 



BUDAPEST AND ART 105 

a moment, light a cigarette, ask for a newspaper — if 
you care — then settle down for the evening. There 
is something autocratic in the atmosphere of a 
Hungarian Kdvdhdz. It is the appeal of the Eastern 
in the place that so captivates you — an appeal not 
made in the ineloquent forms of the written or spoken 
word, but in that graceful perfect form employed by 
the pervasive spirit, that penetrating, absorbing sense 
of invisible personality. A new spirit passes through 
the room as the orchestra strikes decisively the opening 
note. It is a long note, and you wait breathlessly for 
its companions. The gipsy band knows but one cue, 
its conductor, who stands, or rather waves, drawing 
from his violin a wealth of ballad, legend, and history. 
The effect of all this is marvellous. It is psychic. 
Feet once motionless and reposeful now become 
agitated, whilst the fingers take on an elasticity un- 
dreamt of History makes its appeal on strings 
impregnated and pulsating with human feeling. What 
the leader thinks you are made to think. He touches 
the entire keyboard of human thought and feeling, 
" from passion to irony, sarcasm to the sob." 

The Opera is good. It is a fine building in the 
Renaissance style, and cost some six million crowns. 
In the main entrance the statues of two distinguished 
Hungarian musicians may be found. On the left 
that of Erkel, whilst opposite is placed that of Liszt, 
both the work of Strobl. In the Nemzeti, or National 
Theatre, serious drama is produced, and produced well. 
The manager is a most capable man, with a profound 
liking for English pieces ; consequently one may see 
Merely Mary A?iti and several of Wilde's wonderful 
plays. Here the standard of acting is high, particu- 
larly amongst the women: Mary Jaszai and Emilia 



io6 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Markus are a long way ahead of their contemporaries, 
splendid in tragedy and capable in comedy. Both 
the Opera and National Theatre belong to the State. 
Four other large theatres, with two summer theatres 
and a scientific theatre of the dissolving view order, 
comprise the list of places for the " serious drama." 
Music halls and cinematographs now abound. Thanks 
to Sz^chenyi, several fine clubs exist, the National, 
Gentry, Park, and the Jewish clubs being the best. 
Lovers of museums are well provided for. The most 
interesting from many points of view is the most 
recent. It is the Agricultural Museum, and in an 
unmistakable manner it presents Hungary better than 
any book could do it. The romance of agriculture is seen 
at a glance. In the realm of statistical demonstration 
Hungary is practically unequalled in the world. In 
the Agro-Geological Department the visitor is made 
acquainted with the various qualities of superficial 
soils and their extensions. The Wheat Hall discloses 
samples from fifty-three different counties, each district 
showing the progress or failure of ten successive years. 
The wheat grown each year, as well as the soil and 
the results, is presented in tubes analysed by State 
experts. These are placed for comparison alongside 
all the wheat from foreign countries. Vegetables are 
presented in much the same way. As so much havoc 
is wrought by ignorance in dealing with injurious 
insects, a special department shows how fruit and 
vegetables are attacked, the months in which to look 
for trouble, their method of destruction, and the most 
successful means to be adopted for repelling such. 
In another department the same thing is done for 
fruit and plants, etc. Gazing at the walls, it is easy 
to see at a glance the spot where the most sun falls, 



BUDAPEST AND ART 107 

where rain is most prevalent, and where cold is 
practically unknown. Or you may see where to go 
for corn, grapes, oil, horses, where the real Magyar 
lives, where small holdings flourish best, and where 
one may obtain a glimpse of the real gipsies, or the 
Slovaks, Swabians, Wallachs, or Serbs. Every phase 
of agricultural life is exhaustively treated. A wonder- 
ful collection of traps for birds and animals forms by 
no means the least interesting feature of the Museum. 
This Museum, with four or five of the most important, 
occupies a splendid situation in the Varosliget (Town 
Park). Here was where the Hungarians held their 
great Millennial Exhibition in 1896. A place is also 
found here for the Museum of Budapest, containing 
objects of interest peculiar to the town. Nothing of 
exceptional or exciting value is to be found here. 
The Ethnographical Museum, on the other hand, though 
quite small, is of immense value to all students of 
Hungary. The National Museum, which is situated 
in the Muzeum-Korut, is also of immense interest. 
The things that pleased me most were the examples 
of the Hungarian goldsmith's work from the sixteenth 
to the eighteenth centuries. Rakoczy's fighting club 
still interests many. There is a beautiful goblet with 
lid worked by the famous Transylvanian goldsmith 
Hahn, which belongs to the early seventeenth century. 
A great collection of relics from the bronze age and 
the epoch of the migration of the nations. Most of 
these come from the Hungarian provinces, whilst 
the Roman antiquities give some idea of the culture 
of the Roman provinces of Pannonia and Dacia. 
Before this Museum could really settle down to its 
final home it had several vicissitudes. In 1805 it was 
with all its treasures removed to Temesvar, and four 



io8 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

years later to Nagyvdrad, all on account of the terrors 
of the French War. In 1838, the period of the great 
inundation, the costly treasures returned and have 
remained here ever since. The Hungarian Academy 
of Science, which occupies a fine building in the 
Renaissance style, is much older in idea than the 
National Museum. History carries one back to the 
fifteenth century and the founding of the " Sodalitas 
Litteraria Ungarorum," also to the movement in 1760 
to raise the University to a Scientific Society. Despite 
Sz^chenyi's noble offer at the Pozsony Parliament of 
1825 — that of giving a year's income to the Academy — 
it was not until 1859 that a permanent building was 
decided upon. In 1862 the building was commenced, 
and cost nearly two million crowns. Close to the 
Academy is the Lanchid, or chain bridge, built by an 
Englishman n^imed Clark. During the struggle for 
independence the work of building was carried on with 
no little danger and difficulty. Colonel Alnoch, who 
commanded the Austrian troops garrisoning the 
fortress, gave an order one day to blow up the Buda 
part of the bridge, in order to check the victorious 
march of the Magyars, Two kegs of powder were 
placed under the bridge, whilst he himself set fire to 
the train, which did not destroy the bridge but only 
the gallant colonel. 



CHAPTER VII 

BUDAPEST AS IT IS 

' ' Can these things be, 
And overcome us like a summer's cloud, 
Without our special wonder?" 

BUDAPEST is always at its best at night, I 
should prescribe the Corso on a clear night 
as the vantage spot. Look up at the old fort at 
the top of the Gellerthegy as it stands out cold and 
white in the night. There is a Venetian look about 
the Buda bank, with the Palace, Cathedral, St. Gellert's 
statue, and the Ministerial Offices all silhouetted out 
unmistakably. And if you need a touch of romance, 
just gaze at the myriad twinkling lights, which look 
like stars curiously wandering from their courses. Then 
the Danube ! Stockholm is beautiful with its impetuous 
river, but it has not the unique situation that Budapest 
is proud of. Lean a few moments on the rail placed 
to prevent you from disturbing the serenity of the 
many trams that pass to and fro, and simply gaze at 
the picture unfolded, and don't try to think. Unless 
I have hopelessly misread the character of the race, 
the whole spirit of the nation will come stealing over 
you. Those " tumultuary silences," and " the incom- 
parable pomp of eve," will invest you with just that 
wonderful something which Hungary possesses, and 



no HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

yet which " passeth human understanding " to describe. 
It is only night which awakens this feeling in Budapest. 
There are, it is true, day sights. Select a bright day 
in summer or autumn, and take your place on one of 
the Corso chairs. Elegant Budapest will appear, clad 
in the costliest of raiment. Hungarian ladies do know 
how to dress well. It's a motley crowd. Official life 
tired of its evasions escapes for a respite. Even 
without the vote, the lady is a great political factor 
here. More things are done by these charming 
women than this world dreams of. Noise ! The 
whole place hums, for the Magyar is fond of talk, 
given to excitement, and sometimes forgets that others 
may desire to speak. Occasionally conversation de- 
velops, both within and out of doors, a noisiness 
undreamt of. Yet if very tautological, he is rarely 
dull. The Corso is obviously the place to study 
costume and life. Whilst this immense crowd is 
patrolling to and fro here, and one has imagined 
the entire city present, another larger and more im- 
posing promenade is attempting to exhaust itself on the 
Stefania-ut, the Rotten Row of Budapest. It will bear 
comparison with Hyde Park. Here perhaps are fewer 
Jews. And in Budapest caste counts for much. Here 

" Riches shakes her money bags, 
And poverty its tatters." 

It is a gay, moving, chattering crowd. The latest in 
fashion, manners, and habits may be found on the 
Stefania-ut. To get there one must needs pass 
through that area which in some cities would soon 
degenerate into slumland. Take the Andrdssy-ut, 
the boulevard of boulevards in Budapest. Take it 
by carriage, or by underground. But do not miss 



BUDAPEST AS IT IS iii 

it. It is a magnificent avenue, and it leads to the 
Park and all its attendant educational factors and 
amusements. Never drive in a one-horse carriage, 
unless you desire to lower the reputation of your 
nation. To remember this will avoid a multitude 
of misrepresentations. And, driving or walking, always 
recognise the lady first. In shopping in the Andrassy- 
ut, and most other streets, remember that business is 
in the hands of Jews in Hungary. Never accept the 
first figures mentioned by the shopkeeper, save where 
the legend " fixed price " confronts you on all sides. 
Don't worry when the director of the hotel, or the 
manager of the " Kavehaz," greets you when you 
arrive : this is a custom they never forget. They are 
glad to see you. The occupant of every table is 
treated in the same way. If you visit a service, you 
may find the women sitting all together on one side 
and the men on the other, let this not perturb you. 
You may be seated as I was in the reading-room of 
one of the hotels, or in a large coffee-house, when 
suddenly a rush is made for a telephone-looking 
instrument which hangs from the wall. In time 
perhaps you will become one of these " rushers." 
It is the Telephon Hirmondo, a kind of newspaper 
which telephones its news instead of printing it. 
Budapest is the only city in the world which possesses 
such an instrument. All day long a clear-toned 
elocutionist announces news just as it arrives. It 
commences in the morning at nine by sending the 
correct time, which is repeated every hour. At twelve 
o'clock the news of the day, home and abroad, is sent 
out to thousands of homes, etc. Sometimes a raco7tteur 
will make the luncheon hour pass easily by telling 
a few good stories. The latest rise and fall " on 



112 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

'Change," programme of events, meetings, Parliament, 
horseraces, these are a few of the items one may 
receive. From 4.30 to 6.30 one may listen to a 
famous Honved military band, and after seven in the 
evening, for five nights of the week, the subscriber 
sitting at home may listen to grand opera. On the 
two remaining evenings the strains of a gipsy band 
coming from a distant caf6 adds to the enjoyment. 
The Magyar loves pleasure. 

The oldest church in Pest is the parish church in 
EskU-ter, or " Swearing-in Place," thus named for the 
position occupied by King Francis Joseph when he 
took the oath in 1867 as King. It is a strange 
bundle of incongruities, a Gothic chancel, and a 
Roman nave, with a curious rococo facade, and dis- 
figuring doors. In both the Franciscan Church in 
the Ferenciek-tere and the Ferenczvaros Church in 
Bakacs-t6r good frescoes by Lotz are to be seen. 
The Basilica by reason of its size commands notice, 
but it is painfully modern. Away on the Buda bank 
are three churches of real interest. Sigismund's Chapel, 
in the Royal Palace, has been restored recently, and 
it is supposed to contain the coronation insignia. 
Bela IV. laid the corner-stone of the garrison church, 
which bears on its facade a tablet commemorating 
the 200th anniversary of the reconquest of Buda 
from the Turks. But the premier church is the 
Matthias Church. It was commenced in the Roman- 
esque style by Bela IV., and completed two centuries 
later in Gothic. During the Turkish occupation it 
was used as a mosque. The interior strikes one as 
unduly gaudy, colour rushes to attack colour, and 
design retreats before design. But the King was 
crowned here in 1867, so no great exception seemed 



BUDAPEST AS IT IS 113 

to have been taken to these eccentricities. Most 
people are interested by the elaborate coat of arms 
of Matthias Corvinus, which occupies a prominent place 
to the right of the main entrance. Buda is old, slow, 
yet beautiful. It wears something of the grandeur 
of age. Yet annoying marks of newness appear to 
disturb its past Whilst wandering amongst the 
official life of Buda, or watching the crowds teem 
over from Pest to its wonderful baths, a moment will 
surely be found, as I found many, when the inquisitive- 
ness of the explorer manifests itself. Utilise one of 
such moments, just as you may have emerged cleanly 
and strong from either the Lukacs or the Csaszar 
baths, by strolling along hillwards for about ten 
minutes, until you approach a small octagonal build- 
ing known to some as the Turkish Chapel. It stands 
but 25 feet high, and is erected over the grave of 
" the father of roses," Gul-Baba. Rumour hath it 
that the obligation to preserve this monument forms 
a special article in the Peace of Karlowitz, concluded 
in 1699 between the Emperor and the Porte. This 
little spot brings one closer to things as they were. 
Lovers of ruins must certainly visit Aquincum, taking 
the little road-railway for the purpose. I spent a 
happy day there with Dr. Chester, the American 
Consul - General. An amphitheatre, a temple of 
Mithras, a famous bath, a shady garden, and delight- 
ful hostelry. Man needs nothing else with Dr. 
Chester for a companion. Push still higher heaven- 
wards, and dine on the Svabhegy, and watch Pest 
light its lamps at eventide. The effect is great. 
Royal palaces seem all more or less alike. Two 
rooms of the eight hundred and thirty which the Buda 
Palace possesses are worth climbing the hill to see. 



114 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

One is the ballroom, unequalled, I am sure, in the 
world ; the other is the dining-room. Speaking of 
palaces and kings, I have often been asked why the 
cross which occupies the premier position on the 
Hungarian crown is crooked. In the Revolution of 
1848 this crown fell into the hands of the Hungarians, 
and, as crown jewels are sometimes wont to do, dis- 
appeared mysteriously. A slanderous scoundrel said 
that Kossuth had broken up the crown and sold its 
jewels in Turkey. Despite a searching inquiry, nothing 
was heard of it for five years. Then, so runs the story, 
a peasant appeared and led the searchers to a huge 
tree near Orsova, in the roots of which the crown had 
been buried. On bringing it again into the daylight, 
it was discovered that the cross was out of its original 
position, but it was decided to allow it to remain as 
it was. Another version of the story later. Buda is 
the home of the Prime Ministry, quite an unpretentious 
building, the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Com- 
merce, and the Ministry of Finance, together with the 
Honved Ministry. To reach these it is quicker to 
take the mountain cog-wheel railway. Descending 
after a visit, one may easily see by a turn in the 
by-streets that the Turks have only left Buda a short 
time ago. It is these streets which reek of history. 
Near the Elizabeth Bridge — the new single-span bridge 
— is the Rudas fiirdd, one of the best baths in Budapest. 
All the Buda baths are renowned, and cheap. Little 
more remains to be written of buildings. The Vigado, 
or Concert Room, on the Corso, contains a staircase 
adorned with frescoes from Hungarian legends by 
Than and Lotz. Either the musician or the music 
invariably so engrosses people that many who have 
mounted the stairs a score of times have not yet 



BUDAPEST AS IT IS 115 

noticed these artistic masterpieces. Modernity makes 
a big show in the Szabadsag-ter, or Liberty Place. 
The New Bourse and the Austro-Hungarian Bank, 
together with the Adria Navigation Company's build- 
ing, form a trio of imposing structures and beautiful. 
Thoughts are thus taken from the spot where Haynau 
wreaked out his terrible vengeance on the heroes of 
'48. Opposite Parliament are the Law Courts, or 
Palace of Justice, and the Ministry of Agriculture. 
One — the former — is cold and noble, like law itself; 
the other a field of windows, and a multitude of 
rooms, where some of the most advantageous legisla- 
tive work of the country is conceived. 

The Ministry of Education is unworthy of the work 
that has been accomplished, and were it not for a sign 
over the door, the outward and visible signs of 
authority or rank are altogether wanting. Hungary is 
not far behind in most branches of educational work. 
Generally it has been gifted with capable and energetic 
ministers. State education is more than a hundred 
years old. And in 1868 elementary education was 
made compulsory. To-day there are in Hungary 
106 industrial and commercial schools, and the State 
owns about 2046 of the primary schools. Quite one 
half of the training colleges and more than a half of 
the middle schools are owned by the State. The 
Magyar is an educationalist. As far back as 1836 
infant schools were established, whilst provision for the 
education of girls was made in 1806. The year 1848 
was a year of change in many respects. Then 
colleges were made into middle schools, with eight 
grades of instruction ; and under a system of examina- 
tion, or " trial of leave," a pupil could pass to a school 
of higher grade, and eventually to the University. 



ii6 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Twenty years later education became compulsory, and 
in 1875 the higher education of women made rapid 
strides. The entire principle of State-control, de- 
nominational and otherwise, was confirmed in 1883. 
In 1905 it was stated that nearly 90 per cent, of 
the fixed population of Hungary — not merely the 
Magyars, but those races of Eastern Hungary — were 
able to read and write. This again proves my case 
for Magyar capacity. Greek was abolished in 1890 
as a compulsory subject. Educational statistics I want 
to avoid, for the simple reason that they are, like 
all other statistical tables, unreliable, and also un- 
illuminating. It is to outline the tendency of educa- 
tion as it appears to the wayfaring man in a foreign 
country. In larger Hungary — that is, including Croatia 
— there are three Universities : one at Budapest, one 
at Kolozsvdr, and another at Zagrdb. The first two have, 
in addition to the faculties of theology, law, and 
philosophy, a faculty of medicine. The following table 
illustrates the position each occupied in 1907 : — 



University 


Professors 


Lecturers 


Students 


Budapest . 
Kolozsvi.r . 
Zd.grab 


136 

SI 

46 


196 
68 
37 


6731 
2386 
1195 



Law schools, polytechnics, and theological seminaries 
abound in the land, so that every year shows a great 
decrease in the number of illiterates. One does feel, 
however, that there is an absence of that thoroughness 
that we, despite the contention of carping critics, 



BUDAPEST AS IT IS 117 

possess in England. In Hungary there is a certain 
brilliance about the work achieved which is more often 
than not temperamental. It is the educational staying 
power that I doubt, the depth and width rather than 
the height. The power of rapid absorption is simply 
tremendous amongst Hungarian students, and one is 
apt to be led away by a certain linguistic capacity. 
In all this one must remember that in the composition 
of the Magyar perseverance is not unduly developed, 
and there is a tendency to settle down, to be content 
with partial knowledge, much too soon. This is not 
true of all nations. A man receives his doctor's degree 
and imagines the end of life in an intellectual or educa- 
tional sense has been achieved. I can recall hundreds 
of instances of this kind of thing. And it reveals itself 
in a general disposition to neglect books for news- 
papers. With the growth of intellectual societies much 
of this will happily disappear. 

Social conditions in Budapest are not as good as 
they seem to be. But, thanks to an army of public- 
spirited and noble women, they are much better than 
may be found in most cities of the size. In a quiet 
way the Countess Albert Apponyi is doing most 
praiseworthy work in many branches of social service. 
But the efforts of Madame de Herich and Miss 
Rosenberg in connection with the woman's movement 
in Hungary call for national recognition. To-day there 
are ninety-three branches of the Women's National 
Council in Hungary, with seven sections affecting the 
life of women. Women factory inspectors, however, are 
lacking. It is not uninteresting to note that amongst the 
best paid female labour is that of the tobacco factories, 
and after ten years' regular service a pension is possible. 

In Budapest there is no separate or distinct poor 



ii8 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

quarter. There is no system of State poor relief. 
Ecclesiastical charity and private benevolence do much, 
and when this is inadequate the community steps in to 
aid. Though the Magyars love drinking, they are not 
a drunken race. The poorer classes, alas ! consume too 
much that is bad, and consequently pay the penalty. 
But the women of Hungary set the women of England 
a noble example of temperance. It is not to be 
wondered at, with wine so good, cheap, and harmless, 
that only twenty-three teetotal doctors may be found 
in Hungary. Unless something is done soon in 
relation to overcrowding under the tenement system, 
slums will soon appear. People herd together too 
much. A new organisation is afloat to discover the 
genuine poor, and the causes ; each person advised from 
a centre has a street to visit. Never have I seen a 
servant problem so accentuated as in Budapest. The 
habits of the girls and the treatment by the mistress are 
often too appalling for description. Crime of a grave 
nature has never alarmed either the visitor or the 
resident. In Budapest only trivial offences pre- 
dominate. The most disreputable looking street is 
safe at any time, day or night. What is on the increase 
is political offences, thanks to Socialist organisation. 
The Magyar is a law-abiding animal, and much more 
docile than the Englishman. I have seen a man so 
bullied by policemen that in two minutes the officers 
would have been rolling in the gutter in England, and 
deservedly so. It is to be hoped that the practice of 
lacing a man's hands up behind him with a cord will 
soon be considered antediluvian, to say the least. My 
own opinion is that the Hungarian police are over- 
armed. Too many obtrusive weapons are not only a 
temptation but a menace. Yet many of these men 



BUDAPEST AS IT IS 119 

are capital fellows. As a result of a political disturb- 
ance, I was once obliged to spend an hour or so in the 
police-station, but I only saw the worst side of them 
then. They are curious-looking individuals, with an 
unfashionable black bowler hat adorned with a wisp of 
white hair. Round their necks hang their official 
number, like a wine waiter at a club. They are on the 
wlaole a smart body of men, with few opportunities for 
running, such as our London police occasionally get. 
I tried and have failed to collect a policeman's hat. 
In Budapest they don't roll off as frequently as they 
do at Oxford and Cambridge. 

One of the sights of Budapest, and in fact all 
Hungary, is the servants and peasant women. Re- 
ducing the quantity of clothing to a minimum is the 
aim of many, but this section believes in the safety 
of numbers. I have seen many a village maiden 
swishing along with no less than eleven petticoats on, 
bulging out and forming a bell-shaped figure. Then 
with her bright scarlet stockings and coloured shoes, 
ribbon-woven hair, decorative apron, and full-bodied 
blouse, attracting the attention of the stranger only. 
You may tell the district from which she hails by 
this display of finery. Often such girls are found 
carrying babes on pretty little cushions, or pushing a 
modern-looking vehicle containing such. The arrange- 
ment of a handkerchief over the heads of these 
peasant servants often adds another deft touch of 
prettiness. More often than not on Sundays in 
Budapest, a group of such may be found near the 
Custom-house, or in summer in the Park. Shoeless 
often, yet nevertheless a picture. Sights of this order 
bring one immediately back from modern civilisation 
— and quite happily too, sometimes. 



120 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Hungarian sport naturally has its headquarters in 
Budapest. A great change is overtaking the nation, 
and sport is creating it. At one time the Kdvehdz 
and its attendant amusements occupied a larger share 
of the time of " young Hungary " than it does to-day. 
Fortunately for the physique of the nation, those days 
are over, and a cleaner, stronger race of men is being 
bred. Almost all the forms of sport with which the 
English University man is familiar have a home in 
Hungary. The degree of perfection arrived at, how- 
ever, save in swimming, does not bear comparrson. 
Cricket and golf still wait to be introduced. But 
football and tennis in the realm of athletics now 
approach an excellent standard, thanks to Mr. Charles 
Iszer, whose contribution to Hungarian sport is un- 
equalled, and an Englishman named Dr. A. B. 
Yolland. Tennis owes its existence to Dr. Yolland, 
who not merely taught the Hungarians the game, 
but demonstrated his skill by winning many valuable 
prizes. He is now Professor of English at the 
University, and one of the few men who speaks this 
difficult language with ease. 

Football has come on quicker than any other game, 
and the Hungarians are now able to put up quite a 
good show against the English teams who visit them. 
An increase of the sporting instinct has meant an 
increased vocabulary, and the Magyar dictionary has 
grown by so much. In Budapest there are five good 
football teams, with a multitude coming on. Rowing 
also is improving. Manno gained considerable experience 
at Henley, and as a sculler he demonstrated Hungary's 
possibility in this direction. Halmay by his record 
swimming has, however, done more than any other 
man to bring before the notice of the world 



BUDAPEST AS IT IS 121 

Hungarian sport. As a patron, an enthusiastic 
attendant, and an ardent athlete even now. Count 
G^za Andrassy stands quite by himself. What would 
Hungarian sport have done without his patronage I 
dare not stop to think. His branch is polo, and the 
Hungarian team is not to be despised. When the 
men grow a trifle harder, and both physically and 
temperamentally grow accustomed to hard knocks 
and rougher treatment, a sterling " footer " team will 
be evolved. Horse-racing with all classes is also now 
intensely popular. For sport, both the Torna Club 
ground and the ground on the Margaret Island are 
well equipped. 

What most people do first on visiting Budapest, I 
did almost last — that is, visited Margaret Island. 
There it stands, serene and green, in the middle of the 
Danube, and approached by a massive Y-shaped bridge. 
For all bridges please not to forget that a toll of four 
filler must be paid, and forty filler for a carriage. ■ But 
this bridge demands double payment, for on reaching 
the half-way line and desiring to enter the island, 
another toll is demanded. It is worth all you pay, 
for here you may really on a summer's day find a 
restful retreat. The Archduke Joseph owns it, and 
spent several million crowns on having it artistically 
set out. Here the roses are simply gorgeous, and a 
hedge of rosebushes on the island perfumes the whole 
area. People go to the island not merely for a walk, 
but to try the wonderful medicinal baths. Others try 
the restaurants. I tried both, and found them good. 

"Not seldom from the uproar I retired 
Into a silent bay, or sportively 
Glanced side way, leaving the tumultuous throng." 

On doing this once, I stumbled across, quite by 



122 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

accident, the ruins of St. Margaret's Convent. Margaret 
was the daughter of King Bela IV. If you would find 
this charmingly quiet retreat, you must take the road 
along the Pest side of the island. You will most 
likely pass on your way many an amorous couple. 
This will but add distinction to the quest for solitude. 
In Hungary the military man has a great chance with 
the ladies. Uniforms are captivating as well as men. 
The blue and gold of the Hungarian Hussars is one 
of the most effective in military Europe. I don't like 
the caps. Here again it is Eastern traits that stumble 
out, for these caps are reminiscent of the fez with an 
inept peak attached to it. In all public places the 
clicking of heels together is continually heard. It is 
to be hoped that many of these men are more effective 
than they look. 

Another figure one constantly meets is the priest. 
Hungary is a Catholic country, though Protestantism 
does something more than merely exist. The priest 
is always a variable quantity, it is the creed that 
never changes. In 1901 there were in Hungary 
proper 8,198,497 Roman Catholics, nearly two 
million Greek Catholics, and more than two million 
Greek Orientals. Of the two Confessions — Augsburg 
and Helvetian — of Evangelicals there were 3,686,092, 
with 831,162 Jews, and 68,551 Unitarians. The 
hierarchical organisation of the Roman Catholics is 
formed by five archbishops, those of Esztergom with 
ten suffragan bishops ; Kalocsa, and three bishops ; 
Eger, and four bishops ; Zagrab, and three bishops ; 
and the Greek archbishopric of Gyulafehervar and 
other three bishops, truly an imposing array of men 
in fine linen. There are five Lutheran districts. In 
Budapest the Lutheran Church has 42,000 members, 



BUDAPEST AS IT IS 123 

with five pastors, five chaplains, and seven catechists. 
There is a story connected with the Scottish Mission 
in Budapest worth recalHng. It is virtually the story 
of the origin of the mission. Dr. Alexander Keith 
and Professor Black left Scotland in 1839 to visit 
Palestine, having for companions Dr. McCheyne 
and Andrew Bonar. Being obliged to return by 
way of the Danube, they unexpectedly stopped at 
Budapest. Here Dr. Keith was taken seriously ill. 
Somehow or other the news of the Englishman's ill- 
ness reached the ears of the Archduchess, who immedi- 
ately visited the sick minister, and on one of these 
occasions spoke of how she had long prayed for 
some such mission, and the presence of these 
missionaries in her city was the answer to her 
prayer. 

The organisation of the Unitarian Churches is in 
church parishes, eight church districts, and in the 
officials and assemblies which pertain to the united 
Church. In the Roumanian National Church Congress, 
which is a ruling body, there are thirty spiritual and 
sixty secular representatives ; whilst the Congress 
of the Servian National Church consists not only of 
an archbishop and bishop, but of twenty-five spiritual 
and fifty secular elective members. This arrange- 
ment is for those Greek Orientals who belong either 
to the Roumanian or Servian race. There is one 
limitation to the scope of the Congress ; it does not 
extend to dogmas, religious instruction, liturgy, and 
ecclesiastical discipline. But all church and school 
endowment, questions of organisation, and endow- 
ment of vicars, etc., come within the meaning of 
the Act. 

A united organisation does not belong to the 



124 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Jews. Individual communities form the sole organised 
corporations of this race. The administration of local 
bodies I purposely omit, for its repeated changes 
provide nothing of special interest by way of comment 
or contrast. Such does not reveal the Magyars as 
I want them to be seen. Language and literature 
does this, so just glance at it a moment. 



CHAPTER VIII 

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 

' ' To the scientist the earth mustlfor ever roll around the central solar 
fire ; to the poet the sun must for ever set behind the western hills. " 

A LITTLE of a foreign language is a very 
dangerous thing. Let it be known that no 
language is easy. The first few sentences in 
Hungarian that I was taught to lisp served me well 
for asking questions, but I never understood the 
answer. Was it not ever thus ? Even when I had 
" got the hang " of the language a little, I was 
stumped horribly one night at a rather important 
dinner. My hostess, of ladies most charming, in 
that delightful Hungarian manner persisted in loading 
my plate with nice things. But there comes a 
moment in all men's lives which if neglected leads 
to indigestion. Therefore, lifting my prophetic fore- 
finger, I waited for what seemed to me a couple of 
hours to find the most fitting expression in Hungarian 
for declaring my inability to proceed further. Some- 
one accused me of redness. This led me to 
immediately decide upon a word, so without further 
delay, and yet conscious of my impropriety, I murmured 
" megtelt" which is to be interpreted, " full up." It 
was the only expression I could remember, for that very 
day I had attempted to board a tram, but this legend 
written up in letters of living light led to my repulse. 



126 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Yes ! I've often been assured that a little language 
was dangerous, though occasionally very useful. But 
there are languages and languages. Amongst the 
" and languages " must be placed Hungarian. You 
search for coincidences, but only find peculiarities. 
Now it seems difficult to realise that " igen " could 
ever have been anything other than " yes." The 
origin of the Magyar language is enshrouded in the 
same mantle of obscurity as that of the race itself. 
It has its affinities, but as a language it is distinct 
and unique. A story was told me once at dinner 
of a Franciscan monk of the thirteenth century who 
went out on a mission to the tribes inhabiting the 
banks of the Kama, and, using the Hungarian 
language, was understood. Others have visited distant 
lands and conversed with Eastern races with no great 
difficulty in Hungarian. Some two hundred years ago, 
a Hamburg physician, having been presented with 
a Hungarian grammar, was immediately struck with 
the number of words bearing a relationship to the 
Finnish, and languages of that group. So interested 
was he that he wrote a book showing the kinship of 
language existing between the Finns and Magyars. 
Later, a Jesuit named Sajnovich advanced upon the 
mere theory of similarity by recognising coincidences 
in the grammatical formation. It is a language of 
affixes. " According to the evidence of the oldest 
written fragments," says Dr. Riedl, — " a funeral speech 
— (1200 A.D.), those affixes were originally separate 
substantives, which were merely placed beside the 
principal word, as though, for instance, instead of 
saying * within the house ' we were to say ' house, 
interior.' " The vowel of the word also is har- 
monised in the affix. This is another Ugrian char- 



LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 127 

acteristic. There are opponents of the Ugrian 
theory, and champions of the Turkish points of 
view, but the consensus of opinion is with the former 
school. The desire to obtain some undeniable proof 
of the origin of the race and language has led at 
least three able and seriously minded men to wander 
far into the East, ignoring danger and privation, and 
finally dying in obscurity. Csoma, a Szekel of 
Transylvania, resolved when he was but eighteen 
years old to unravel the mystery of history. Professor 
Patterson tells the story of his life - work in the 
following manner : — " A poor student at Enyed, one 
of the Calvinist colleges in Transylvania, he was 
early inured to the hardships which he had to 
undergo — adventures in their way as daring as those 
of Cortez and Pizarro. With a capital of a hundred 
florins, and the promise of another hundred yearly, 
he plunged into the heart of Asia. Struck by the 
resemblance of a few words of Tibetan to the corre- 
sponding words of Magyar, he determined to master 
that language. He shut himself up for four years — 
from 1827 to 1830 — in the Buddhist monastery of 
Kanan, in one of the valleys of the Himalayas. He 
soon discovered the illusory nature of the resemblance 
he thought he had perceived between the languages 
of Tibet and his native country ; but he prosecuted 
his researches into Tibetan literature, in the hope 
that it might throw light on the early history of the 
Turanian nations of Northern Asia, the ancestors and 
kinsmen of his own people. His disappointment, 
when he came down to Calcutta, and was there 
informed that the works that he had read and trans- 
lated were themselves translated from the Sanskrit 
was so bitter as for the time to affect his health. 



128 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

He was employed by the Asiatic Society to catalogue 
their Tibetan books, and to prepare a grammar and 
dictionary of that language. But in 1842 he again 
conceived the idea that the cradle of his people was 
to be found on the frontiers of China and Tibet, and 
instantly set out to explore it ; but died at Darjeeling, 
in British India, on the i ith of April in that year." 

The difficulties of discovery are hardly equalled 
by the difficulties of pronunciation. Hungarian is 
difficult, and it — 

"twists and thwarts the stammering stranger's tongue." 

There is an old joke which gives for a reason the 
inability of the " Germans " — i.e. the bureaucratic 
instruments of the Viennese Government — to 
" civilise " Hungary, lying in the fact that they could 
never speak the language. It is clear, however, that 
Hungarian is not absolutely a stranger in Europe, it 
has a certain number of distant relations. 

Without some conception of the language, Hungarian 
literature must remain a closed book. Character and 
costume make their appeal independently, it is true, 
but the larger thoughts of man lie hidden for ever if 
the literature of a nation is neglected. With infinite 
joy I read of Lehel with his horn, and Botond with 
his battle-axe, and could almost hear the minstrels in 
quaint garb and quainter language, in tents and camps, 
or in newly formed villages, chanting legend and song. 
Unfortunately, nothing from these times has been 
preserved. Latin chronicles from the twelfth century 
give us glimpses of the legend period, the subjects 
often but not the legends themselves. Thought and 
feeling at this juncture expressed itself curiously. 
Art and literature suffered from a lack of education. 



LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 129 

One writer has detected a peculiar lacking in the 
chronological sense. Step inside the church at Kassa 
and you will see what I mean. Look at the frescoes. 
These are supposed to represent Jerusalem at the 
time of Christ. What is the achievement of the 
artist ? " Kassa in the fifteenth century " ! In the 
Middle Ages the religious spirit prevailed. The oldest 
poem of which the name is known of the author is 
a hymn begging from Mary, the patroness of the 
kingdom, protection from the Turks who were then 
pouring into the country. This was from the pen 
of a Franciscan monk named Vasarhelyi, who fell at 
fateful Mohacs. From the old songs of the chivalric 
period only one has been handed down, and even 
that is fragmentary. It celebrates the victory of 
Matthias over the Turks at Szabacs. Minstrel songs 
are, alas ! too few. Hungary was stirred by the 
Renaissance. Matthias was soon captivated by the 
all-pervading movement. Benedetto de Majano 
decorated his palace, Bonfini wrote his history, 
Galeotti put down his remarkable sayings. One of 
the most celebrated libraries of the period was called 
the Corvina, and housed at Bud a. The streets and 
the courtyard of the palace at Buda swarmed with 
Italians. And when Matthias died the value of books 
sank in all the European markets. The wonderful 
imagina-tion of Matthias bred gigantic dreams and 
plans. The dreams of conquest that held him impatient 
and chafing were Napoleonic. By habit a Christian, 
reckless and unfortunate often with his presents, eloquent, 
and gifted with almost superhuman energy, Matthias 
exercised a tremendous influence in the kingdom. 
Virgil then became the ideal poet, and right down to 
the nineteenth century men modelled the Hungarian 
9 



130 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

epic after him. Matthias often ran against popular 
opinion without suffering for it. Struck by the 
handsome qualities of a seven-year-old Italian boy, he 
made him Primate of Hungary, and the people of Ferrara 
sent him toys. It is unwise either to overestimate or 
underestimate the influence of Matthias. Outside Italy 
no man in Europe was a better judge of works of art 
and of literature. At the court of Matthias was Regio- 
montanus, the inventor of modern trigonometry and the 
greatest astronomer of his time. One of his works, 
Ephemerides, was a kind of nautical almanac, which 
Columbus is said to have been in possession of during 
his first voyage. Another notability of the time was 
that witty and clever conversationalist Galeotti, whom 
Scott introduces in Quentin Durward. But we must 
not linger over the age of Matthias. 

The Reformation did this much for Hungarian 
prose, it stimulated biblical translation and fostered 
religious controversy. These preachers of a new 
gospel to men founded schools and developed a 
marvellous literary activity. Printing offices sprang 
into being, pouring out a grammar, dictionaries, 
translations from the classics, historical works, and 
some of the initial attempts of Hungarian versification. 
Jasper Karolyi translated the Bible in 1589-90. Not 
only did these preachers influence literature, but 
wandering minstrels culled from the ranks of retired 
clerks, schoolmasters, and soldiers, were intensely 
popular with all classes. They were both grave and 
gay. But though able to compose religious verse and 
sing comic songs, where the real heart of men came 
out was when versifying the histories and feats of war 
of their own time. Sebastian Tinodi, an unimaginative 
minstrel, was a king amongst this " vagabond people," 



LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 131 

Tin6di sang of Szondy, the gallant defender of Dr^gel, 
and of Losonczy of Temesvar. In these chronicles, 
which stirred many a baronial hail, patriotism and the 
enthusiasm of the eye-witness is present, though the 
versification is very primitive. Valentine Balassa, who 
followed Tin6di, enjoys a more lasting reputation. At 
the coronation of Rudolph II. he was chosen to lead 
the Hungarian national dance. Balassa's life was 
certainly eventful, and he died on the battlefield. The 
position he occupies in Hungarian literature, despite 
his quarrelsome nature, is unique. Dov/n to the 
advent of Petofi he remained Hungary's best lyric 
poet. A century after he lived his poems were the 
delight of the Kurucz world, and from the sixteenth 
to the nineteenth century he had no lyrical superior. 
There was grace, euphony, and wonderful technique 
in his rhymes. At the dawn of the seventeenth 
century literature underwent a change. Protestantism 
lost its position, and an aristocratic element entered. 
One of the figures of the new epoch was Peter 
Pazmany, Archbishop of Esztergom. Pazmany became 
the master of Hungarian prose, changing it from the 
colourless, lifeless forms his predecessors had adopted, 
to forcible expression and a pointed brevity which 
many imagined the language incapable of. 

One of the greatest Hungarians of the seventeenth 
century spent his youth in the circle of Pazmany. Count 
Nicholas Zrinyi was the son of George Zrinyi, who, 
it is said, was poisoned by order of Wallenstein, because 
he was jealous of the influence the great general had 
with the King. Had it been possible for this dying 
hero to have peered beyond the veil and seen the 
future, what a picture would have been disclosed ! 
His two sons, Peter and Nicholas, the one meekly 



132 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

awaiting the fall of the headsman's axe, in a funeral 
chamber; the other, after having secured both the 
poet's and the warrior's wreath, dying amid the blood- 
stained bracken of the forest of Krursedol. Had this 
not satisfied him, another picture might have shown 
Ilona Zrinyi, after defending for years the fortress of 
Munkacs, dying in distant Asia Minor an exile. 

Nicholas Zrinyi was a curious combination of soldier 
and poet. As a poet his chief work is a long epic 
poem called Obsidio Ssigetiana. It is the story of 
his ancestors' defence of Szigetvar. The traces in it 
of Virgil and Tasso are plain, but it is a national epic, 
and displays Zrinyi's marvellous capacity for character- 
ising whole races. Gyongyossi followed Zrinyi, and 
employed more of tenderness and music in his work. 
Being just on the heels of the thrilling Rakoczy period, 
new elements enter literature. The Kurucz songs, 
accompanied by the tdrogato, thrilled the populace, 
and inspired men to action. During this period the 
Rdkoczy-Song was composed. It was after the great 
defeat at Trencsen, and from this song Berlioz and 
Liszt composed the now famous Rakoczy March. 
Mikes wrote his Letters from Turkey, and Faludy his 
Moral Maxims, whilst the nation awaited the appear- 
ance of George Bessenyey. Going from Szabolcs as 
a Guardsman to the court of Maria Theresa, the 
change of environment soon awakened within the 
youth a desire to increase the intellectual consciousness 
of the land he had left. Seriously studying the 
languages and literatures of the West, he determined 
thus to equip himself for the task of arresting the 
backwardness of Hungary. In his studies he en- 
countered Voltaire, and all his future work is permeated 
by the spirit and feeling of the French master. 



LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 133 

Bessenyey was responsible for a translation of Pope's 
Essay on Man, whilst his brother Alexander, the man 
who had also enlisted to serve as a Guardsman at court, 
but for whom no horse could be found capable of 
bearing him, translated Milton's Paradise Lost. 
Absolute originality has been wanting along the 
centuries. Too many have been mere imitators, or 
infatuated copyists. Style and form often are remin- 
iscent of Western masters, whilst that originality with 
which the Magyar temperament mentally approaches 
objects is rarely felt. As we approach modern times, 
this note, so long absent, appears. 

The halcyon days of Hungarian literature were 
those of the early forties of the nineteenth century. 
All were names to conjure with. There were the two 
Kisfaludys. Alexander had seen service in France 
against Napoleon, and on returning settled down to 
the leisure and distractions of a well-to-do country 
gentleman beside Lake Balaton. There was a vast 
difference between Alexander and his brother Charles. 
The former, whilst abroad, learned to know and to love 
Petrarch. " Under his influence, with a wound in the 
heart which he had brought from home and with new 
feelings, he began to write in Italy and Provence, in a 
metre invented by himself in the form of the sonnet, 
The Songs of Himfy, wherein ardent heat is as 
inexhaustible as lyrical imagination." Charles sought 
more serious themes, and handled them humorously. 
His was a larger vision and a profounder knovi^ledge 
of human nature. Sometime artist, soldier, judicial 
in everything save business matters, then playwright, 
he was in distinct contrast to his brother Alexander. 
The Tartars in Hungary was a play containing real and 
sustained dramatic action. From this moment Charles's 



134 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

career was assured. He was the originator of national 
comedy. The strength of his humour was found more 
in his situations than in his characters. In The Rebels, 
Disappointments, and The Sailors, good examples of 
his work may be found. Kisfaludy was a genuine 
literary enthusiast, and by publishing the Aurora, or 
Almanac, did much towards the making of Pest a 
literary centre. Kisfaludy was also a lyric poet worthy of 
consideration, seeing that one may detect a yearning for, 
or stretching out after, two new forms of poetic expression 
in his work — the popular ballad or romance which 
Arany and Petofi perfected, and the " classical hexameter 
verse " which Vorosmarty employed with such skill. 

I have often wondered over the question of literary 
censorship during this period, whether or no it had any 
depressing influence upon literature. The censorship 
of the Press not only could be, but actually was 
evaded, both by Magyar and German writers, by 
the simple and easy expedient of a journey to 
Leipsic. " In such esteem were smuggled books held 
in Austria before 1848, that when Prince Metternich's 
Government wanted to produce an impression on 
public opinion, it had a book written and published 
abroad, and then forbade its admission into the empire." 

The greatest exponent of the grand style in poetry 
was undoubtedly Berzsenyi, he who when first intro- 
duced to his fiancfe was so swayed and overcome by 
his emotionalism that he fainted. With the name of 
Francis Kazinczy is linked the struggle for language 
reform. His connection with the abbot Martinovics 
nearly cost him his life. Neither Kazinczy nor 
Martinovics were real conspirators, but rather in- 
fatuated enthusiasts, and doubtless suffering from some 
discontents, the abbot and his friends determined to 



LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 135 

disseminate the doctrines of the French Revolution ; 
gathering all the doctrines together into catechism 
form, Kazinczy unwisely copied it for them. The 
Austrian Court, naturally incensed, ordered the 
arrest and trial of all the conspirators, and one day 
twelve Lancers drew up before Kazinczy's mother's 
house and carried the poet-reformer to Buda in chains. 
The grim death sentence was passed upon all, and all 
save Kazinczy were executed. For nearly seven years 
he was imprisoned, and on being denied writing 
materials, wrote with his own blood, or with the rust of 
his chains dissolved in water. It is said that with the 
exception of Voltaire no literary man has written more 
letters than Kazinczy. Idealism and oratory often 
journey hand in hand. In Hungary, Francis Kolcsey, 
a fine type of the dreamer, the visionary, whose bound- 
less imagination, though it did not carry him very far, 
helped to awaken within more practical souls gifts 
such as the nation needed. As an orator Kolcsey had 
few equals, and in the Pozsony Parliament his was the 
flame that kindled all. His poetry, save the Hyninus, 
calls for no special treatment, but the literary form of 
his oratory became a model for many. As a critic he 
was excellent, and founded the Hungarian school of 
literary criticism. Joseph Katona was a man of quite 
a different mould, and his Bank Ban, written for the 
theatre at Kolozsvar, is the finest tragic drama in 
Hungarian. Great power of analysis was one of the 
leading characteristics of Katona, who died unrecognised. 
A few scenes of the play were translated into English 
by Arany, and these illustrate his knowledge of 
Shakespeare's craft. 

Steadily the nation proceeded. Poets multiplied. 
Prose though not yet come into its own, the novel still 



136 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

in the making, were nevertheless active. It was in 
the natural essence of things that poetry and drama 
should occupy such a big share of the nation's literature 
during these stirring periods. What need of the 
historian, the novelist, or the essayist, when minstrels 
sang instead of writing? The period of prose will 
always come. As I write the period of the inspiring 
poet seems far distant. All nations move thus. Where 
are the poets of the world to-day ? Alas ! they are 
silent. It was these poets of Hungary who helped 
men to realise that they had minds. Emerson says : 
" Is not poetry the little chamber in the brain where 
is generated the explosive force which by gentle shocks 
sets in action the intellectual world ? " Out of such 
stuff as poets, prose writers are made. 

The dawn of Vorosmarty marks a new era. At 
twenty-five he startled the nation from its intellectual 
apathy by his Zaldn's Flight. His heart's blood was 
put into this work, for 1825 saw Hungary in an 
unhealthy torpor. In its descriptive power Zaldn's 
Flight is surpassingly great. The poet chose a 
large canvas, and crowded it with clashing forces, the 
thundering of battle, and all the dread accompaniments 
of war. It is Virgilian in conception and design. 
Men read, then sat and wondered, saying, " Man 
never sang like this before." Following up his suc- 
cess, Vorosmarty wrote Cserhalom and The Tzvo 
Castles. The tragic force of the latter has led to its 
ranking as the most terrible epic in the Hungarian 
language. Berzsenyi called it a " cannibal poem." 
But I like Vorosmarty best in The Hoary Gipsy 
and the Szozat. The latter will remain the nation's 
hymn for all time. Speaking of Shakespeare one day, 
Vorosmarty said : " A good translation of Shakespeare 



LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 137 

would be worth to any nation at least the half of its 
existing literature." 

In the train of Vorosmarty came Czuczor with his 
history of Botond, and Garay, who worked up the 
entire history of the Arpads into a series of spirited 
but rhetorical ballads. 

The novelist of these early days was a man in whom 
talent of a certain order was found. Hungary owes 
much to some of these sons of the pen. Sentiment 
played itself in, and characterisation played itself out. 
Lovers of adventure were represented by Gvadanyi, 
who made much use of the vicissitudes of the 
Benyovsky family. But Josika and Jokai were writers 
with much originality, and cultivated a style likely to 
secure readers in other lands. In Hungarian literature 
there were few voices but many echoes. Josika, 
surrounded as he was by emblems of the past, and 
with the atmosphere of the Transylvanian magnates 
around him, sought expression in a style akin to that 
of Scott. His own life was sufficiently adventurous 
and full of incident to merit description, for, returning 
from the French campaign, he settled down amongst 
the old castles of Transylvania, with their collection 
of arms and manuscripts, and the lurking inspiration 
of chivalry in their walls, settled down to write novels. 
But after the Revolution poor Josika was condemned 
to death, and sought respite in exile, dying in 
Dresden. Importance is given to Abafi, but the novel 
best known to English readers is the story of the 
Tartars in Hungary. Josika painted an external 
picture of history rather than revealed its soul, for he 
loved it more than he understood it. His novels of 
exile reveal the change in environment, the forsaking 
of Scott for Dumas. Unfortunately, the critics will 



138 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

rarely pardon change, and they turned against J6sika. 
His life had not, however, been a failure, for he had 
founded the Hungarian novel and doubled the Hungarian 
reading public. Josika was succeeded by Eotvos, who 
afterwards became Hungary's first Minister of Public 
Instruction. Eotvos won renown in many fields, and 
his name is better remembered as Minister of Educa- 
tion than as the author of The Carthusian or The 
Village Notary. In this latter novel Eotvos struck a 
heavy blow at the corruption and serfdom prevailing 
in the provinces prior to 1848. Deak severely 
criticised it, yet the influence of the novel, depicting in 
lurid language, as it did, the discontents of his time, 
was well received, and accomplished the end of the 
novel with a purpose. In equally forceful language 
Hungary in 1/^15 was written, and with genuine historic 
sense the terrible scenes of the " peasants' revolt " are 
depicted. He was so many-sided, and so great, that 
men were unable to fix him in any particular sphere, 
and the measure of worship was therefore distributed. 
As an influence Eotvos though dead yet speaketh. 

Another contemporary of Josika's was Sigismund 
Kemeny. His best works are historical novels, in 
which one finds traces of Aristotle, Balzac, and Victor 
Hugo. Some critics affirm that Kemeny was one of 
the greatest who have ever attempted to explain in 
fiction the human lot and the human heart. In Gyulai 
Pal, Hard Times, and The Enthusiasts, ideas tumble 
one upon the other, sometimes clumsily, but never 
without depth of meaning. 

Then comes the prince of Hungarian novelists, the 
master-creator and the master-worker, one in whom the 
fire of genius burned full and long — Maurus Jokai. 
Without aiming at an international reputation, he 



LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 139 

achieved one by reason of his rich vocabulary, humour, 
and rare descriptive force. He was an arch-romantic, 
with a perfervid Oriental imagination, and humour 
of the purest, rarest description. A writer says : "If 
one can imagine a combination, in almost equal parts, 
of Walter Scott, William Beckford, Dumas pere^ and 
Charles Dickens, plus a semi-savage Magyar je ne sais 
quoi, one may perhaps form a fair idea of the great 
Hungarian romancer's indisputable genius." His life 
was as crowded with incidents as are his books. " After 
the defeat at Vilagos the sentence of death hung over 
him, and for some time he had to live in hiding. His 
flight was aided by Kossuth's secretary, who hired a 
carriage and horses, dressed himself as a coachman, 
and drove Jokai through the Russian camp. For 
months J6kai and his wife lived in seclusion amongst 
the wooded hills." Journalism and politics both 
claimed him. In consequence of an article in his 
paper, he was arraigned by a military tribunal and 
sentenced to a year's imprisonment in chains. After 
a month, however, he was liberated. That he was 
popular also, was seen in the fact that the nation 
sought the occasion of his jubilee to present him with 
;^8ooo. His output was prodigious. He was the 
most prolific writer of his age. Stories, novelettes, 
poems, articles, dramas, simply poured from his pen, 
the ink of one being scarcely dry ere the other 
appeared. One of the finest of the Hungarian literary 
critics says : " His remarkably mobile and extraordin- 
arily rich imagination easily lead him to incredible 
plots and exaggerated character-drawing, yet his power 
of observation and feeling for reality sets before one 
with the fidelity of a master the pictures of life which 
surged around him." It was an enormous gallery of 



I40 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Hungarian characters that he brought into being with 
a few bold strokes of the pen. Fortunately, most of 
his work has been translated, and English readers are 
familiar with it. Of his novels, A Hungarian Nabob, 
Karpdthy Zoltdn, The New Latzdloi'd, and Black 
Diamonds are amongst the best. Though his pro- 
ductiveness was so great, none of his work is slipshod. 
When he died he left no real successor, but a crowd of 
men following far behind in the distance. 

Long before Jokai had reached the zenith of his 
fame, Hungary's greatest poet had been laid to rest 
on the battlefield. Alexander Petofi, friend of Arany 
and Jokai, and a host of immortals, was the richest 
genius Hungary ever produced. He was born in the 
county of Pest, the son of a butcher. Birth often 
plays but a small part in a man's life. It was so 
with Petofi. Leaving the schools behind him, the 
waking aspirations of his life were for the stage, and 
it is almost pitiful to find such heroic attempts 
being made to fashion the poet into an actor. He 
also became a soldier, but was ill fitted for such a 
business. If ever there was a soul which loved freedom 
and detested all kinds of compulsion, it was Petofi, yet 
some caprice drove him into the army at Sopron. 

Despite all the fluctuations, all the hardships and 
privations, Petofi always remained faithful to poetry. 
In The Country, he sings — 

"O Magyars! look not on your fathers, 

But bid them hide their brows in night ; 
Your eyes are weak, those suns are dazzling, 
Ye cannot bear that blasting light. 

Time was those ancient, honoured fathers 

Could speak the threatening, thundering word ; 

'Twas like the bursting of the storm-wind, 
And Europe, all responsive, heard ! 



LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 141 

Great was the Magyar then — his country 

Honoured — his name a history 
Of glory — now a star extinguished — 

A fallen star in Magyar sea." 

These verses reflect his spirit in 1848 and the 
political bias his poetry had. In a motto one may 
discover the two main themes of his poetry : — 

"All other things above 
Are liberty and love ; 
Life would I gladly tender 

For love ; yet joyfully 
Would love itself surrender 

For liberty." 

Love and liberty were the themes of Hungary's 
master lyric poet. Dr. Riedl says : " In the mature 
poetry of Petofi we see love as the Hungarian con- 
ceives it, full of strength and warmth, and without 
any touch of French frivolity or German sentimentalism. 
Petofi's writings give us a glimpse of Hungarian life, 
lighted up by the flame of poetical exultation." Petofi 
was not only the idol but also the ideal representative 
of the youth of Hungary in that period of reform 
made young again with the elixir of national feeling. 
Poet and prophet, he foretold his own poetic fame, the 
Revolution, and his own death, whatever he felt most 
and deepest, that he saw furthest into the future. Out 
of the obscurest elements of his imagination he drew 
a faithful picture of the future. 

From the College of Patak emerged a serious-minded 
youth who for years was Calvinistic pastor of a group 
of picturesquely situated villages in the county of 
Gomdr. Michael Tompa was the son of a poor shoe- 
maker, and he too knew something of poverty and 
trial. From 1841 forwards he continued to publish 



142 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

lyrics, but the strength, the complete man, was evidenced 
in his allegories. Tompa was the first man that 
I seriously studied in the original, and then only 
because the book was left by accident in my room. 
But I was so enraptured with the political significance 
wrapped in allegorical expression and form, and withal 
tender and sweet, that I determinded to read all his 
works. Absolutism ruled over the land. The publicists 
had been silenced. No great voice could be heard in 
the nation. The depressed Magyar race Tompa felt 
must at all costs he addressed. Then came that 
beautiful appeal, The Bird to its Brood : — 

"A storm has raged; our rocks apart 

Are rent ; glad shade you cannot find ; 
And are ye mute, about to start 

And leave your mother sad behind? 
In other climes new songs are heard, 

Where none would understand your lay, 
Though empty is your home and bared — 

Yet, children, sing to me, I pray ! " 

It is easy even for the stranger within the gates to 
discover the political significance of songs like these. 
Tompa, like Arany and Petofi, was a poet of the 
lowlands. Justice has never really been done Tompa 
in Hungarian literature. To-day who reads him ? 
But the time may again come when the allegorical 
style he was so great a master of may be necessary, 
then perhaps turning from the living present to the 
dead past, the work of the Calvinistic preacher will 
enter into its own. Linked closely with the men I 
have already dealt with, men of a past generation, 
was Madach, whose name will ever be remembered 
by one remarkable piece of work. The Tragedy of 
Man. In this the poet sees with his own eyes, not 
the sorrows and struggles of one man, but mankind. 



LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 143 

It is poetical philosophy. He pictures the future of 
the human race, solves the lurking doubts of the 
intellect, and shows man in the real and ideal. 
Greatness is stamped upon every line of it, and to- 
day the drama is as popular as ever. 

This brings one to the long and straggling army 
of the moderns. When P^terfy died in 1899, Hungary 
lost its best essayist. But Bajza, Erdelyi, Greguss, 
Toldy, Horvath, Salamon R^vay, Hunfalvy, Budenz, 
Szasz, Szarvas, Vajda Reviczky, Levay, were a crowd 
of writers who faithfully upheld the traditions of 
Hungarian literature in all its varied forms. 

Like Hazlitt, these were men I should have liked 
to have met. What an education it would have been 
to have known Arany, Tompa, and Petofi ! Yet I 
must not grumble, for it has been my privilege to 
meet most of the sweet singers and stirring writers 
of to-day. The first poet, and I think one of the 
finest if not the finest, that I met was Alexander 
Endrodi. He is both scholar and poet, well served 
with originality of expression, all encompassed by a 
charm and tenderness and sweet delicacy not found 
in any other living Hungarian poet. Both in his 
romantic Ku7'ucz songs and his dainty pictures of the 
Balaton the expressive genius of the poet obtrudes 
itself. Most people have forgotten his little History 
of Hungarian Literature, and this seems a great pity, 
for the rare qualities of the analytic, balanced critic 
are found therein. Good poets are rare to-day in 
Hungary, versifiers are legion. Dramatists are 
plentiful and variable. Journalistic novelists are 
increasing, and the feuilleton is a feature of the 
Hungarian newspapers. Of the Hungarian novelists, 
Mikszath and Herczeg easily head the list. Both of 



144 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

these writers are known to the English reading public 
— the former by SL Peter's Umbrella, and the latter 
by The Gyorkovics Girls. Mikszath's stories of 
common life, his humour, his satire, and charming 
naivete, render him of writers the most readable. 
Herczeg's day of greatness is coming quickly. In his 
work there is a clear-cut wit, and fine appreciation of 
the place irony should occupy in the novel, and a deep 
knowledge of Hungarian social life. He is humorous 
without being coarse, and satirical without unduly 
caricaturing his characters. His style is his own, and 
his talent justifies that individuality he seeks. After 
these come a motley crowd ; not, it is true, without 
power of delineation or skill in treatment. Joseph 
Kiss obviously belongs to the Arany school, and has 
a preference for Jewish themes. But Malonyay, 
Pekar, and Victor Rakosi are a trio of whom Hungary 
is justly proud. All are tremendous workers. The 
latter is the Hungarian Mark Twain. There is a 
cosmopolitanism about all their work, accounted for 
perhaps by the fact that all have travelled much. 
In literary criticism Gyulay and Boethy represent the 
old school, with Lazar, Hevesi, Lenkei, Ballagi, and 
Ferenczy as the modernists. In philosophy, juristic 
literature, history, and politics the writers are legion. 
Dramatic literature is perhaps making more advance 
than ever, and a young school of writers is springing 
up of considerable power. Both Herczeg, Molnar, 
and Gardonyi are well represented here. 

As newspapers the Hungarian have their own 
peculiar points of interest. It is not for me to discuss 
their morality. In Jeno Rakosi, Hungary has an 
editor whose mental equipment is exceedingly high, 
whose capacity and fairness is undoubted, and whose 



LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 145 

many-sidedness is almost phenomenal. Nothing 
comes amiss to him. He has style, freedom, and as 
a dramatist strove to invest the dramatic literature of 
his time with a greater richness of diction without 
retarding the flight of imagination. The qualities 
rich and varied that he brought to bear upon literature 
he also turned to good account in his editorship of the 
Budapesti Hirlapy which stands head and shoulders 
above its contemporaries. With all this rich field of 
literature before them, it is a pity there are not more 
readers in Hungary. Hungary suffers to-day not 
from a lack of writers, but readers and book buyers. 
Newspapers are read too much and books too little. 
Some of these newspapers, such as the Pester Lloyd, 
Neues Pester Journal, Pesti Hirlap, and As Ujsag, 
uphold the best traditions of journalism. 

Outside this vast field of authors two noted writers 
stand, and I have kept their names fittingly for my 
final word. There is something international about 
their work, something impelling and riveting. In 
Dr. Emil Reich one may behold the virile, versatile 
Hungarian yearning for expression in a multitude of 
forms. A master worker, with an extraordinary 
memory, and gifted with historical instinct and a 
happy style, he is one of the most readable of 
modern writers, and one who has found his audience, 
his largest audience, in a foreign land. The other 
name is that of Professor A. Vambery, distinguished 
Orientalist and traveller, a regular Trojan for work 
despite his age, an amazing linguist, and an authority 
on all affairs appertaining to the East. These two 
are worthy of high places amongst the writers and 
thinkers of Hungary. 



CHAPTER IX 
POLITICS AND POLITICIANS 

" The Government of the world is carried on by sovereigns and states- 
men, and not by anonymous paragraph writers or the hare-brained chatter 
of irresponsible frivolity." — Disraeli 

ON the Pest bank of the Danube, in a reserved and 
dignified area, stands the Hungarian Houses 
of Parliament, a Httle " far from the madding crowd." 
Undoubtedly after Westminster it is the most beautiful 
and imposing Parliament House in the world. In 
character it is florid. The Gothic element is prevalent 
in style, though the central feature is a dome. In its 
exterior design it is obviously based on Westminster, 
and has the merit, according to an English archi- 
tectural authority, of clearly indicating the position of 
the two Chambers, as part of the architectural design, 
the want of which is the one serious defect of Barry's 
noble structure. It was the work of Emeric Steindl, and 
cost one and a half million pounds sterling. Through- 
out the interior the decoration is gorgeous, and the 
central hall and grand staircase simply majestic. The 
style is a little too florid to appeal to English taste, but 
it is in keeping with the Magyar temperament. Here 
there is focussed the political activity of the nation. 
There is more freedom about the Hungarian Chamber 

than Westminster provides. It would be easy for 

146 




Kbit « W " ' " 't tI 




POLITICS AND POLITICIANS 147 

" suffragists " to effectively demonstrate at Budapest. 
Members are " getatable " in more ways than one, and 
both galleries and promenades provide opportunities 
which conservative London dispenses with. In these 
latter days there is much talk about parliamentary 
reform, but anything which would destroy the air of 
freedom which besets the Hungarian Chamber would 
scarcely be in the nature of a reform. The Chamber 
itself is composed of 453 members, of whom 40 are 
Croatians. The magnates amongst this crowd of 
lawyers are about 50 in number. At the last 
election the total number of electors on the register 
was 1,085,323, this representing a population of 
16,838,255 from Hungary proper, with 2,416,304 
from Croatia-Slavonia. This population is spread over 
an area of 108,982 square miles in Hungary, and 
1 6,420 square miles in Croatia-Slavonia. The romance 
of politics, with all its startling changes, was never 
more fully exemplified, I am certain, than in the 
Hungarian Chamber. Politics runs in the blood in 
Hungary, and blood runs into politics. Names are 
associated with policies, and policies with names. 
England, I fear, has been accustomed to regard 
Budapest and its Parliament House as nothing but a 
collection of wild and turbulent orators, in whom the 
capacity for government does not exist. 

Newspaper reports, I am afraid, have tended thus to 
caricature the Magyars ; but though a certain independ- 
ence of action and expression has sometimes character- 
ised their proceedings, they nevertheless possess all the 
powers and qualities essential to the making of just 
and equitable laws. The character of the nation has 
constantly been undergoing change. Right down to 
the sixteenth century one may trace the higher 



148 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

nobility attempting to play the part of a privileged 
and selfish oligarchy. These attempts, however, were 
usually successfully resisted by the lower nobility, who 
always stood for order and liberty. From 1608 down 
to 1 848 the Diet was composed of two Houses. There 
was the Upper Chamber, with the Palatine as President, 
all the important officers of State, the archbishops and 
the bishops of the Catholic, and since 1792 of the 
Greek Churches, all the lord-lieutenants of counties, 
together with all the adult males of the titled families, 
from barons to princes. 

In the other House one found the members of the 
Court of Appeal, the President of which enjoyed the 
privilege of presiding over the " Table of the Nuncios," 
as it was styled. Then came two representatives from 
each county elected by the gentry, and furnished with 
definite instructions how to act. There was no possi- 
bility of wobbling. He who wobbled had to resign. 
The free cities also sent representatives. And another 
class, the delgates of those magnates who for some 
reason or other were not represented in the Upper 
Chamber. Those were not the days of popular 
elections. But though you might be a member of the 
Lower House, the privilege of voting might not be 
yours. Only the lord-lieutenants and the repre- 
sentatives of the free cities had the right of voting. 
The others had practically only the right to a " con- 
sultative opinion." Things have changed since then. 
And the first momentous change was the prevailing 
of those constitutional forces which had kept Hungary 
united for so long, and which resulted in the two 
partners in the Dual Monarchy meeting on equal 
terms and adopting an attitude and policy of mutual 
independence and reliance. Had the comitdts not 



POLITICS AND POLITICIANS 149 

preserved that wonderful spirit of constitutionalism 
common to the Hungarian people, which sought its 
end in maintaining local liberties, then this moment 
would have been delayed. In the giant struggle 
which preceded 1848 and culminated in 1867 the 
great orators of the nation were employed. 

There was Deak, heavy and dull in appearance, a 
man whose talent was never disclosed until he warmed 
to his subject. Firm, moderate, perhaps a trifle slow, 
he never possessed the gift of capturing the imagina- 
tion in the way that Kossuth did. Yet he left a deep 
and sure impress upon his nation's history. 

Kossuth was the incomparable orator. He was the 
exact reverse of Deak. The former appealed to the 
imagination, the latter to the cold intellect of man. 
At that moment Kossuth was the man that was 
needed. Later came Deak's opportunity. Curiously 
enough, Kossuth's career only lasted some twenty 
months. He explained to English audiences his aims 
as the following : — 

" Excepting the citizens of the privileged towns, the 
only persons in Hungary and in the countries under 
the Hungarian crown, who before the year 1848 
enjoyed any of the privileges, social or political, of the 
Constitution, were the nobles. Moreover, the privileges 
of a noble family were not confined to the eldest son, 
as in England, but all the sons of a nobleman were 
themselves nobles, with the same privileges as their 
father. Their numbers might grow without limit, 
and reached about five or six hundred thousand, or 
about the number of the enfranchised citizens of 
England. We should not have been worthy of the 
name of patriot had we not seized the chance of 
securing the constitutional freedom and independence 



I50 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

of our country. And Hungary must be free and inde- 
pendent in accordance with her rights and the terms 
of ancient contracts. Hungary is not bound to any 
other country, but enjoys a separate national Hfe and a 
separate Constitution, and is not to be governed as 
an Austrian province, whether such provinces be 
governed well or ill, despotically or constitutionally, 
but is to be governed in accordance with her own 
Constitution and her own laws. This was our right 
with respect to the Austrian House and Empire, and 
was the duty of the Austrian House towards us. We 
had to safeguard this right and enforce the fulfilment 
of this duty. We had to take care that in every 
department of State life Hungary should be governed 
independently and be free from all foreign interference." 

Like many another great patriot, Kossuth died in 
exile, on March 20, 1894, in Turin. Under the liberty 
of which Kossuth laid the foundation stone the progress 
of the Magyars has been phenomenal. Never has 
man in Hungary spoken as did Kossuth, " and all the 
people were attentive to hear him." Oratory from this 
point, particularly parliamentary oratory, took upon 
itself new forms. Since the Kossuth-Dedk period 
Parliament itself has undergone change. 

Parliament to-day is summoned by the King for a 
period of five years. But it must be called together 
within three months of its dissolution, and indeed may 
be called together within a shorter period if the budget 
of the following year has not been voted. Any 
minister may be impeached by a simple majority of 
the Diet, if he has committed any act which involves 
the independence of the country, or infringes upon 
individual liberty as guaranteed by the Constitution, 
or interferes with private property. And again, if it 



POLITICS AND POLITICIANS 151 

be proved that public funds have been tampered with, 
and also for any " wilful refusal " to enforce the law 
appertaining to public peace. 

Naturally one asks who are entitled to vote in 
Hungary to-day. " Every Hungarian citizen of twenty 
years of age and upwards is entitled to vote — (i) 
having a minimum income of 105 florins and paying 
direct taxes amounting to 10 florins; (2) in the large 
towns occupants of houses containing three living 
rooms, even though unrated ; (3) workmen employing 
an assistant ; and (4) all who under the Constitution 
can claim their ancient privilege — the last category 
still represents at least 20 per cent, of the total 
electorate body. Besides these, about 30,000 vote 
in right of educational or professional qualifications, 
such as members of the learned societies, priests, 
professors, physicians, general practitioners, apothe- 
caries, notaries, civil engineers, and schoolmasters." 
A truly noble army. Soldiers in garrison or with 
the colours, police, revenue and excise officers, have 
no votes. All elections are controlled by the Minister 
of the Interior, and in the case of a general election 
thirty days' notice is given by him, and he specifies 
a limit of ten days within which the elections must 
be held. 

The task of becoming a member is not easy some- 
times in Hungary. Last election was no criterion. 
It was one of those great moving forces which 
nobody could foresee and none withstand. The 
Kossuth Party, long kept from power, were now in- 
vincible. It was a free election. I was amongst 
the Transylvanians during the election. For the large 
constituancy of Diosad there was but one polling-place, 
and that at the centre. In Hungary there is nothing 



152 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

really prosaic about an election-^it is, at least in 
Transylvania, a succession of beautiful pictures. 
Watch the faces of a rustic audience as a candidate 
unfolds his programme speech ! The very generosity 
of the Magyar nation is seen at a glance. The 
flashing intelligence of the Magyar, the dull, heavy- 
browed gaze of the Olah, how widely apart in political 
instinct these two races are ! The rich, rolling re- 
verberations of the Magyar language fell musically 
upon my ears, it was as if some new tone-spirit had 
entered life and interpreted its meaning. I listened, 
I followed, I cheered ! I say, I know not why nor 
how, but I did it. What a language ! The orator 
pauses a moment, he is lost for a word, but the 
audience does not fidget. One does not look at the 
clock, but the candidate. 

Fascination happily did not end with speech-making, 
for there was the startling national garb of Magyar 
and Wallach adding picturesqueness to the entire 
scene. With pardonable envy the hairless beheld 
the shaggy-locked Wallachs, who, despising both mud 
and dust, tramped barefootedly into Zsibo for the 
meeting. Sometimes it looked like a stage crowd, 
yet without the lifelessness of such. It was the 
pulsations of human interest which exalted it above 
the mere picturesque. 

A makeshift platform in the middle of a very un- 
certain road. Politically hungry men clustered round 
the primitive rostrum, some clinging to the flag poles 
of the Magyar piros, feher es z'dld. The chairman, a 
merry-eyed Catholic priest, he too a candidate in the 
adjoining constituency, gave vent to one of those 
elocutionary displays for which Hungary is famous. 
Beautiful words, kindly expressions, enthusing phrases, 



POLITICS AND POLITICIANS 153 

but in no sense a political speech ; yet he was an im- 
provement upon our English chairman, for physical 
necessity told him when to sit down. Beside him 
sat the candidate, young but not nervous, a poli- 
tician in the making, a real student groping after 
truth. His exposition was timely and adequate ; the 
loftier flights he disregarded, and dispensed sound 
political gospel to commonplace mankind, and it was 
good. 

When the crowd had left the spacious square, and 
whilst social coteries fed their kinsfolk and vented their 
views, when the candidate rested and the agent dis- 
pensed orders from the iroda (office), even then there 
remained a kind of political afterglow, a rich sunlit 
feeling. The strenuousness of a Hungarian candidate 
differs considerably from that of the Englishman. 
There is less speaking in a single day, but more 
eating and drinking to be done. The motto in a 
large Hungarian constituency is " Late to bed and 
early to rise." It does me good even now to recall 
the happy moments of that election. One thing will 
ever remain with me, it is the memory of a speech. 
The day had been long and dreary. An otherwise 
delightful drive had been marred by a terrific shower 
which rendered carriage movement slow and uncertain, 
and walking impossible. How I wanted to see the 
centre of the constituency at its best ! — but no, Diosad 
only frowned. Mud and umbrellas. Fitful rain 
silences. Nothing, however, diminished the enthusi- 
asm of the peasants. Then came the banquet. 
Every day brought its banquet. There was nothing 
elaborate in the banqueting hall. Here generations 
of peasants had been brought up in its cleanly 
spaciousness. There was light present, and light in 



154 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

all cases involves action. As Novalis beautifully ex- 
presses it, " Light is like Life, active activity." 

One nev^er feels comfortless in the presence of light, 
and though no priceless pictures adorned the walls, 
nor rich carpets rendered walking more pleasant, nor 
elaborate candelabra added to ceiling decoration, one 
felt that happiness was present. Wrinkled old women, 
tender in their offices and lavish with their gifts, ad- 
ministered to the needs of the body — and the gods 
smiled. 

Cheering Transylvanian wine quickened the pulse, 
oiled the bearings of life, and imparted that warmth 
which is the precursor of eloquence. One after another 
of the diners rose and expressed himself, toast tripped 
up toast, then there fell an unusual silence upon the 
Chamber, and I knew that the " stranger in the midst " 
was being toasted. I rose and clinked glasses with 
my kind friends, and sat down. It was not to be, 
however, for a speech was demanded. Only one 
present save myself knew English, speech therefore 
was impossible. " Necessity is the argument of 
tyrants," and my dear but tyrannical friends forced 
me from my chair, and almost before I was conscious 
of it, I was addressing an audience in another tongue, 
and that the most difficult in the world. The sensation 
was intoxicating. I know not now what I said, but 
I still possess an adequate idea of the joy those stuttered 
ungrammatical sentences created. It was the joy per- 
haps of a first attempt, yet joy it was. 

These are the incidents of an election. But election 
day is the day of days. What an awful hour to call 
one ! — yet as I tumbled from bed I caught the sound 
of the Kossuthnota as it was played by the czigdny 
band. At four we were ready to start, our band, fla^s. 



POLITICS AND POLITICIANS 155 

and voters all aboard. I counted thirty vehicles behind 
the leaders. We mustered a hundred voters. A good 
candidate — in Hungary— knows his own voters. In 
England you are not allowed to. It was a thrilling 
journey. At last the circuitous decline is reached, we 
struggle up another short hill, and here we are on the 
election ground. Three wooden buildings facing the 
Protestant Church, resembling military huts in South 
Africa, stand there as polling booths. A posse of 
police and a battalion of infantry. To me all this 
seemed strange, yet things have not always been as 
quiet as I saw them. On the stroke of eight the 
presiding officer made his appearance clad in his 
Sunday best. Despite rumours, it was to be an un- 
opposed return — though in Hungary no one knows 
this until election morning. Thirty minutes were 
counted away, and as no opponent turned up, the 
military were sent away, for they might be wanted in 
one of the other constituencies. 

A movement is then made in the direction of the 
central wooden building, and the presiding officer is 
seen walking to a commanding spot on the hillside. 
The crowd follows him. He appeals for order ; then, 
amid the utmost interest and in tones redolent of 
religious fervour, declares the Kossuthist elected. How 
grand the hymnus sounded that morning ! — one sang as 
one felt. The entire mass of humans then gave them- 
selves over to jollity. For a moment the csdrdds is 
stopped, and a rush is made to the crest of the hill. 
What is that long, straggling, moving mass away in 
the distance ? It is another detachment of voters. 
" But look here ! " shouts another, and there on our 
right tramped triumphantly another instalment. How 
like a battle it all looked ! The floating banners, the 



156 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

victor's song, and the advance line of pretty Magyar 
girls. From all quarters came they, and the 
horizon seemed alive with men and maidens. Then 
it was music, song, and dance. Too late to hear the 
official declaration, but not too late to participate in 
the joys of conquest. Oh, the intoxication of the 
csdrdds ! The clicking of heels, the slapping of boots, 
the shoutings, the whirlings, and the bewitching music. 
Never shall I forget the scene. The entire earth was 
kindly, life itself enjoyed itself, the bewildering aromatic 
scents uprising from a hundred country gardens, 
" wherein resided those delicate toys of God which 
we in our pagan language and our shapeless speech 
call flowers," these captivated the senses until one 
seemed to live another life and be in another world. 
Such is election day in some constituencies in 
Hungary. 

A Central Electoral Committee usually runs the 
elections. Polling commences at eight in the morning, 
and is closed only at the request of both parties, or 
when an hour has passed without anyone polling. 
The voting is open and by word of mouth. Each 
elector gives his name, is identified, then names the 
man he wants to vote for. If an absolute majority 
is not secured, another ballot is taken after an interval 
of not less than fourteen nor more than twenty-four 
days. Bribery and corruption were once appalling, 
but legislation has done its work towards attempting 
to introduce purity of election. To-day new legisla- 
tion relating to corrupt practices is pending. 

Once elected, the member finds that the Speaker 
is elected for the whole duration of Parliament, with 
two vice or deputy Speakers. The present Speaker, 
M. Justh, is member for Mako. He is a powerful man, 



POLITICS AND POLITICIANS 157 

inflammable, but possessed of sound common sense, a 
great admirer of England, and a keen student of our 
political system. Burke is one of his favourite authors. 
Whatever he says or does, he always impresses one 
as strong. Qualities such as Speaker Justh possesses 
are needed in the Hungarian Chamber occasionally, 
for there one finds a licence of speech and interruption 
which would not for a moment be permitted in 
England. There is much Committee business done 
in the House, and every Government Bill is considered 
by a Committee before it is submitted to the House, 
and when it emerges into the Chamber its expediency 
is debated first of all, then clause by clause. If it 
succeeds in passing this ordeal, it is then reported with 
all its amendments, and the third reading carried 
without further debate. In Hungary the vote is taken 
by " rising and sitting," but should twenty members 
send a note to the Speaker that they desire a nominal 
vote, then such is taken by tellers something after the 
fashion of Westminster. 

Recently there has been a babel of tongues, for the 
time of the House has been taken up by Croatian 
obstruction carried on in their own language, which 
they are allowed to use. It was interesting to see 
the interpreter standing beside the Speaker. There 
is no closure in Hungary. If a member infringes the 
rules of the House, he is warned twice, then called upon 
to sit down. A huge handbell stands beside the 
Speaker, and this is often necessary to secure order. 
Members speak from their places during debate, but 
the " reporters " of the different Committees deliver their 
charges from the tribune. As to visitors, a large 
crowd gather in the galleries daily, and here they are 
allowed to write, read, and they often take part in the 



158 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

applause. In moments of national excitement it is 
interesting to watch the mixed crowds who gather 
there. The seriousness with which some men ap- 
proach politics may be seen in the following incident : — 
A candidate for a Slovak constituency, when he arrived 
on the ground, discovered large posters declaring him 
to be a loyal supporter of '"48" principles, when in 
reality he was a member of the " %'] " party. Opinions 
were easily adjustable, and he was returned as a 
Kossuthist, owing to a mistake of local organisation. 
The only thing he had to do was to mention Kossuth 
instead of Deak in his speeches. In Hungary dis- 
turbance is not infrequent. I can recall one instance 
which was characteristically humorous, and an object 
lesson in electoral tactics. A crowd of Socialists, just 
one of those disagreeable knots of obstructionists one 
often meets, had taken up a position in the centre of 
a huge crowd of Magyars. I stood beside the speakers 
on the balcony of the Town House. The excitement 
in Hungary was growing tremendously, and the country 
was approaching absolutism. One felt it all tingling 
in the air. The chairman had finished his speech, and 
the candidate or member was about in the middle of 
his speech, when the first evidences of unrest made 
themselves prominent. Nothing seemed to appease, 
and nobody seemed to recognise them. At last a few 
stout Magyars, unable to stand it any longer, let fly 
at them, and soon there was a regular hubbub. The 
next thing that one saw was a startled group of some 
twenty-five men being driven by these stalwart 
Magyars through the crowd, each man adding his 
contribution to the blows, until the open was reached, 
when, after severely trouncing them all, they were 
driven back to the centre of the meeting and made 



POLITICS AND POLITICIANS 159 

to listen quietly to the rest of the speeches. Sadder 
and wiser they were, and I can vouch for it they were 
quieter. 

Within the precincts of the House there has been 
some stormy scenes. I can recall several. Things, 
however, are changing. Even the measure and quality 
of oratory has changed. Opposition is the period of 
opportunities. To-day the great spirits are quieted 
by the responsibility of office. Office is a great 
subduer. In Hungarian politics the greatest figure 
to-day is Count Apponyi. He has proved himself to 
be both orator and statesman. The physical bulk 
essential to the leader of men surrounds him. He 
looks the leader, whilst his marvellous mellifluous voice 
and commanding presence befits the inspirer of national 
movements. See him as I once saw him. A Ministry 
had fallen, and fallen badly. Outside Parliament an 
excited populace clamoured for parliamentary recogni- 
tion ; inside, heated deputies vindicated their actions. 
It was a pandemonium both within and without. The 
defeated Premier had struggled to his feet to explain 
his position, but a disappointed House listened sadly 
to his halting phrases. Socialist leaders watched 
from the gallery for the slightest evidence which might 
be transferred into a desire or demand for a louder 
demonstration. Thunder and lightning were nigh at 
hand. There was a lull, and Count Tisza seizing the 
moment, tried to address the irritated House. Epithet 
after epithet was hurled at him, yet with a nervous 
twitching of the hands he held his ground. The roar 
increased. The bell clanged noisily. Fists were 
clenched and shaken at the ex-Premier, then regarding 
the situation as hopeless, he resumed his seat. There 
was another pause. Then Count Apponyi, almost 



i6o HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

lethargically, rose to speak. Never was his greatness 
more apparent. A hissing hush silenced even in- 
quisitive woman. All the dignity of the statesman 
was present, and the entire House recognised it. It 
was a national as well as a personal triumph, for he 
simply transformed the House. In attack he is terrible, 
for the purity of his life has never been challenged, 
and this is a great asset in Hungarian politics. He 
has the literary eloquence that so commends itself to 
a Hungarian audience. Perhaps there is too great a 
tendency to please men in him, though there is present 
something of that greatness which cannot fail but 
make enemies. His political career has been many- 
sided; there have been political fluctuations,party vacilla- 
tions, but never has he been anything but intensely 
patriotic. To secure a safe and great position for 
Hungary has been his aim. If he is tautological, it is 
but another name for being Hungarian. It is a 
poHtical trait, an oratorical habit. His administrative 
capacity has not yet been adequately tested. But to 
any Cabinet he is a valuable adjunct, seeing that more 
than any other man in Hungary he is able to command 
attention in Europe and America. Linguistic capacity 
and travel does more for Hungary than men imagine. 
It is a pity that such a man should ever take office, 
for his strength lies in opposition. He is a clean man, 
a great writer, an omnivorous reader ; as a correspondent 
he is unequalled in Hungary, courteous, prompt, and 
adequate. This is not true of all politicians here, yet 
he is an aristocrat, and many feel this. His personal 
charm is immense, and the way he is able to switch off 
into German, French, Italian, English, and Magyar 
simply astounds one. I don't think his forte is to 
become the head of an Administration, but to stir up 



POLITICS AND POLITICIANS i6i 

men, create enthusiasm. To lead a Government, to 
preserve the balance of peace, perhaps lies beyond him. 

There is one man at present out of Parliament 
of which any party might justly be proud, it is Count 
Stephen Tisza. No man that I know of in Hungary 
is better versed in foreign politics than Tisza. He has 
been Premier, and the leader of a great party, but he 
lacks that tact, that gentle persuasive force, that 
conception of unconscious handling, which welds a party 
together. Ability in abundance, by no means a bad 
speaker, character, sound judgment, exact knowledge, 
a wonderful knowledge of English political life, and a 
close association with English political practice ; these 
all stand in his favour, but are counterbalanced and 
nullified largely by his limited knowledge of his own 
race, of the little foibles and whims which none however 
great may override. Almost the last time that I 
spoke with him he was embarking upon a long course 
of English political biography. Morley's Life of 
Gladstone had fascinated him, and he was looking 
forward to a quiet, happy hour or two on the Alfold 
with Winston Churchill's Life of his father and Fitz- 
maurice's Life of Earl Granville. He told me that 
the first time he visited London he was the guest of 
Lord Granville. As Dr. Johnson put it : " It is when 
you come close to a man in conversation that you 
discover what his real abilities are : to make a speech 
in a public assembly is a knack." But Tisza will 
return, and it is hoped will have learned the lesson of 
yesterday. 

Quite the reverse of Apponyi and Tisza are Andrassy 
and Kossuth. Both have honoured names. Both are 
the reverse of their fathers. The energy and much of 
the capacity of the sire was not handed down. That 



1 62 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

physical soundness which is a necessity in statesman- 
ship is wanting in both. Mental alertness is harnessed 
to a frail physique, or an ailment which perpetually 
enshrouds personal action. Both have to delegate, 
and therefore must minimise much of their power. 
Neither are orators, but both good speakers. Andrassy 
is a master of constitutional law, Kossuth an authority 
on commerce. Given constant and sound health, either 
might lead an Administration. In birth they represent 
the poles, but in political influence, each in their own 
party, they are equal. Andrassy, perhaps, less than 
Kossuth, and less than any politician in Hungary, cares 
for public opinion and the plaudits of the mob. 
Honesty in politics is a passion with him. He has a 
name but not the capacity essential to capture the 
imagination of the populace. Kossuth's name carries 
him much farther than Andrassy's. Much is condoned 
and overlooked, for is he not the son of his father? 
One is rich, the other poor, but both men of talent. 
Both speak English remarkably well. Andrassy never 
answers a letter, Kossuth never fails to. In Kossuth 
the love of art is prominent, in Andrassy questions of 
history and constitutional law engage his attention 
always. Strolling into his study one day, the first 
book my eye fell upon was one of Justin McCarthy's. 
Both Andrassy and Kossuth are full of lovable 
personal qualities which often carry them further than 
more brilliant " men of blood and iron." These are 
the four outstanding politicians in Hungary to-day. 

After them come in uneven marching order a host 
of men of uneven capacity. Easily heading all this 
army of political aspirants is the present Prime 
Minister, Dr. Wekerle. Undisputed qualities for 
leadership are present in the Premier, but there's no 



POLITICS AND POLITICIANS 163 

magic in the name, no note of interest to the Magyar 
race. No other man could have held such a brilliant 
yet individual Cabinet as this together. He has more 
pliability than the man-in-the-street imagines, and 
which only a Cabinet Council can reveal. A perfect 
master of figures, in this respect resembling Gladstone ; 
a genius for finance, a solid, slow, semi-Teutonic, semi- 
Magyar lawyer. With no passion for languages, no 
adornment of speech, a great man at promising, and an 
untiring worker, he is respected if not loved. 

In Dr. Daranyi one beholds a political agriculturist, 
who, in a quiet, scientific manner, is doing great things 
for Hungary. He may not influence ministers, but he 
improves conditions, and a knowledge of English 
would still further lead to progress. Both Dr. Gunther 
and Count Aladar Zichy are admirable men. Curiously 
enough, the Premier is the only man who does not 
know English. Dr. Gunther has made quite a study 
of English law, has attended many Election Petition 
cases, and now frames legislation somewhat on the 
same lines. As a speaker he is particularly good, with 
a clean reputation, and if not great is highly agreeable. 
Count Aladar Zichy is an accomplished scholar, and 
some day he may be found in a position where his 
versatile gifts have fuller play. 

Ex-Premiers Szell and Banffy represent diverse 
types. The former is one of the most plausible 
ministers Hungary ever had, but he is best fitted to 
preside over the State when no legislation is possible. 
He is the greatest conciliatory force in the nation, but 
accomplishes little. Banffy is commercial, resolute, 
strong, with little political finesse and no party. An 
awkward man as Minister-President, and still more 
difficult to cope with as member of a Cabinet. He 



1 64 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

is without doubt one of the most daring men in 
Hungary, and Hungarian politics has not heard the 
last of him. 

Outside officialdom waits a meagre crowd of serious- 
minded young men, — men of great capacity of en- 
thusiasms, of width and depth, — and it is to such as 
these that Hungary must look. None are great 
orators, but all are thinkers. They cannot talk like 
Apponyi or Hock, but in them dwell myriad possi- 
bilities. Most of them are great linguists, and the 
future is theirs. We shall hear of Count Arved 
Teleki, Zsombor de Szdsz, Csizmazia, and Emil Nagy. 
The question is, When will such as these be given an 
opportunity ? 

But I have not dwelt sufficiently upon the House 
of Magnates. It should be remembered that this 
imposing body of men cannot originate legislation, 
only destroy it — if they be so minded. Much of the 
old-time bitterness between the Chambers which existed 
before 1848 has passed away. The election of those 
Court dignitaries known as the " Keepers of the Crown " 
is made by the two Chambers sitting together. In 
numbers the Upper House has no specific limit, and 
is comprised as follows : — 

" Seventeen members of the Royal Family ; nineteen 
high officers of State, including the Presidents of both 
Royal Courts of Appeal ; thirty-three Roman Catholic 
diocesan bishops, including seven of the Greek Catholic 
Church ; nine of the Orthodox Greek Church ; and six 
representatives each, lay or clerical, of the Lutheran 
and Calvinist faiths; and one for the Unitarians, a 
body of about 60,000 persons, chiefly located in 
Transylvania." But the hereditary aristocracy supplies 
the bulk of the Upper House. These number about 



POLITICS AND FOLITICIANS 165 

234. The King may also create 50 life peers, though 
not more than five of such encumbrances in any one 
year. Thus, all told, the Chamber consists of about 
389 members, "of whom all, except the officers of 
State and the bishops, are eligible for election as 
deputies — their rights thereupon to sit as Magnates 
fall into abeyance, but are not forfeited." 

Along such grooves as these legislation passes, bring- 
ing blessing or bane, as the various political elements 
dictate. 



CHAPTER X 

TRANSYLVANIA AND THE TRANSYLVANIANS 

"The tempered light of the woods is like a perpetual morning, and is 
stimulating and heroic."— Emerson 

CATCHING a train at the East Railway Station 
just after lunch, one may arrive at Kolozsvar, 
the principal town of the once principality of Transyl- 
vania, about ten in the evening, having partaken of an 
excellent dinner on the train. They do feed you well 
on these Hungarian trains. I have used the old term 
" principality," because it seems to suit Transylvania so 
well, though as a separate entity to-day it is but a 
geographical expression. There is perhaps another 
reason for my doing this, and it is because even to-day 
Transylvanians invariably refer to the other parts of 
the country as " Hungary." For instance, a distinguished 
young politician in Kolozsvar told me one day that 
" we get all our water-melons from Hungary." This 
element, or sense of distinctness, is very real. Kolozsvar 
is the only town in which I felt any sincere measure of 
intellectual feeling. The internal boundaries of Transyl- 
vania were continually shifting, and it is difficult to give 
them. In the seventeenth century it took in the whole 
of the eastern frontier of Hungary, reaching in the 
north almost as far as Eperjes, and including Kassa, 
Tokay, and all along from Vajda Hunyad to Brasso. 

i66 




FARM loLiv KhrURMNG FROM MORNING MARKET, 
KOLOZSVAR, TRANSYLVANIA 



TRANSYLVANIA AND TRANSYLVANIANS 167 

Sometimes even Debreczen was found within the 
Transylvanian area. Its history is unique. The 
very atmosphere of all the towns differ so from all 
other places one may visit even to-day. There are 
those who recognise in it many analogies to Switzerland. 
It has, for instance, three nationalities — the Magyars, 
the Saxons, and the Roumanians, or Wallachs : these 
latter are said to have been the original inhabitants 
of the land. This, however, is denied by many. 
Historical associations abound everywhere. Indeed, it 
can boast that one of the most magnificent monuments 
ever raised by human hands was erected to com- 
memorate its full enrolment on the page of history. 
The column of Trajan at Rome, with its wondrous 
spiral band of bas-reliefs, tells to this day of the 
desperate struggle which broke the power of the 
ancient Dacians, and led to the stately city of Ulpa 
Trajana rising on the ruins of the capital of Decebalus, 
the last Transylvanian king. 

" Much of the gold that glittered on the tables of the 
wealthy patricians, or adorned the reigning beauties 
at the gladiatorial shows, was dug from the hills of 
Abrudbanya, or washed from the sands of the Aranycs 
and other streams. During the culminating epoch of 
Roman luxury, Transylvania was regarded as a vast 
treasure-house to be ransacked for wealth, and not only 
its mineral stores but its rich harvests were easily 
transmuted into gold." 

Attila then came sweeping along with his hordes, 
driving before him all feeble souls, and seized Transyl- 
vania and its neighbours. There was one redeeming 
feature about the invasion of Attila, for though in the 
main his work was destructive, it led to the settlement 
in Eastern Transylvania of those Szekler freemen, 



1 68 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

who even to-day are to be regarded as social and 
political factors. The Magyars of the ninth century 
were not regarded by all as subjects fit for canonisation, 
if one may believe that pathetic prayer-like utterance 
which ran — 

" Nunc te rogamus, licet servi pessimi 
Ab Ungerorum, nos defendas jaculis." 

It was these men or their arrows from whom terror- 
stricken people prayed to be delivered, that fraternised 
with the Szeklers. Those were stirring times. From 
1 541 until 1688 Hungary was split up into three 
parts. The House of Habsburg ruled over Croatia, 
the western counties of Hungary, and a goodly share 
of the sub-Carpathian districts of the north. The 
great and central plains with their towns were governed 
by a Turkish pasha whose seat was at Buda. Transyl- 
vania and the adjoining eastern and north-eastern 
counties was governed by princes elected by the 
Transylvanian Diet and confirmed by the Sublime 
Porte. Situated as it was midway between the 
Magyars and the Turks, and often with Turks on 
both sides of them, Transylvania was constantly in 
need of master minds. Strangely enough, many such 
were bred and trained for the moments of national 
need. For the acknowledgment of Turkish suzerainty 
was not always enough to prevent wild, ruthless hordes 
of Tartars and Turks rushing in upon them and 
devastating the land. But if such was true of 
Transylvania, Hungary proper fared even worse, and 
the Transylvanians were objects of envy. Things 
became so bad in Hungary that Transylvania was 
regarded as a city of refuge, and those who sought 
escape from Turkish atrocity or the proselytisms of 



TRANSYLVANIA AND TRANSYLVANIANS 169 

Germany and Italy were able to find an asylum 
there. 

It was also known for its culture and Protestantism. 
The romance which its repeated struggles, its 
patriotism, and its pride engendered has led many 
writers to call it the " Scott Country " of Hungary. 
Others, by reason of certain characteristics, have 
likened it unto Poland. In the old days there was 
something of the aristocratic republic about it. Then 
everybody regarded himself a noble — that is, as in 
possession of the capacity of ruling, an attitude of 
mind involving the right to disobey their " accidental 
sovereign." A pretext for fighting or insurrection 
was also ever ready to hand. There were the infidels 
to be fought, or the intrigues of the Germans to be 
counteracted, or what perhaps was more often an 
excuse. Protestantism must be protected. Though 
they were in a way vassals under the Sublime Porte, 
they possessed an internal constitution which was 
based upon a league for mutual defence — a league 
comprised of Magyars, Sz^kels, and Saxons. This 
was in 1432. About this time the principality saw 
rising to importance one of the greatest figures it ever 
produced, Hunyadi Janos. Concerning his antecedents 
tradition has its own tale to tell, and as it is interesting 
I do not hesitate to give it. Hunyadi is said to have 
descended from Sigismund. It appears that Sigismund 
passed through Transylvania on his way to subdue 
his rebel vassal, the Woiwode of Wallachia. On the 
journey chance threw in his way a beautiful Wallach 
girl, Elizabeth Marsinai, the pride of the valley of 
Hatszeg. Without disclosing his rank, the cavalier 
monarch successfully laid siege to the peasant girl's 
heart, and on leaving her to proceed to the wars he 



I70 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

gave her his signet ring, with the command that when 
the fruit of their love should see the light, she should 
carry it to the King in Buda, who on recognising the 
ring would be sure to treat her and her child with 
kindness. The following year, as Elizabeth and the 
infant proceeded to the distant capital, the young 
mother, overcome by fatigue, fell asleep under the 
shade of a tree. The child in the meantime toyed 
with the ring which hung like an amulet round his 
neck. Then a mischievous daw joined the infant at 
play, and finally flew off with the ring. The child's 
screams brought Elizabeth to its side, and to her 
intense horror she saw all hopes of greatness vanish 
on the wings of a bird. Her brother, who accompanied 
her, however, sent an arrow from his bow which 
brought bird and ring to earth. Joy was surpassingly 
great, the journey pursued, and the delight of the 
monarch when he heard the story was complete. 

He at once bestowed on his own son the name of 
Hunyadi, presenting him with the town of Hunyad 
and sixty surrounding villages. The surname of 
Corvinus, later adopted, with the arms a crow and 
a ring, were assumed in memory of the events of the 
girl's long journey. Szonakos, the village which gave 
birth to Elizabeth, was declared tax free for ever. 
Many a maiden has fared worse than this at the hand 
of kings. 

The deeds of Hunyadi exceeded those of his 
gifted sire, for he was soon called upon to protect his 
district from the inroads of barbarians, Hunyadi 
gained a series of glorious victories over the Moslems, 
following them through Wallachia, across the Danube 
into Bulgaria, and forcing them to give up the 
fortresses of Servia and Bosnia, thus placing all these 



TRANSYLVANIA AND TRANSYLVANIANS 171 

countries under the vassalage of Hungary. Things 
did not always go well with him, for, having enabled 
Ladislaus v. to obtain the throne, and also to conclude 
a long truce with the Moslems, the monarch broke 
his word. War again broke out. Hunyadi was 
imprisoned. But honours came again, and his last 
campaign was the most brilliant, for he was responsible 
for driving the infidels almost to the gates of their 
Eastern city. Disease then accomplished what the 
sword had failed in doing. Thus died a great warrior. 
Another figure associated in no small way with 
Transylvania is Zapolyai. Mr. Boner in his book 
ascribes to Zapolyai the distinction of having founded 
the kingdom of Transylvania. From all accounts 
Zapolyai was one of those historic figures whose selfish 
personal ambition was not the measure of his courage. 
He does not even strike one as having been invested 
with any special ability either. After 1 5 2 5 > and 
Mohacs in particular, where Louis perished, Zapolyai, 
who was Woiwode of Transylvania, having been worsted 
by Ferdinand of Austria, retired to Poland. It was 
during this retirement that Jaroslav Laski approached 
Zapolyai with a scheme for placing him upon the 
throne of Hungary. In this effort the Turks were to 
play a big part, therefore Laski, with nothing to offer 
" and everything to demand," was so eloquent that he 
induced the Sultan to help to replace Zapolyai on the 
throne of Hungary, on the simple condition that he 
acknowledged the Sultan as protector. It is difficult 
to discover the reasons for such magnanimity on the 
part of the Sublime Porte. A Polish writer has 
explained it thus : " The Vizier and the principal 
officers of the Turkish State were at that time 
Slavonians of Bosnia, who, having embraced Islamism 



172 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

towards the end of the fourteenth century, became 
the most loyal subjects of the Porte, without 
abandoning their native language or their strong 
attachment to their Slavonic nationality. The Slavonic 
language was at that time as much spoken at the 
Sultan's court as the Turkish, and Laski could freely 
converse with the Vizier and other Turkish grandees, 
who treated him as a countryman." Laski left a 
diary of his negotiations with the Porte, which contained 
the following remarkable words addressed to him by 
Mustapha Pasha, a native of Bosnia, who greatly 
contributed to his success : " We are of the same 
nation. You are a Lekh, and I am a Bosnian. It 
is therefore a natural affection that one loves more his 
own than another nation." 

For all this achievement Laski was to be rewarded 
with the sovereignty of Transylvania. Alas ! what 
frail memories some men have ! Instead of being 
rewarded, Laski was thrown into a dungeon and 
accused of " dangerous machinations." Influential 
friends then set to work to secure his release, and 
eventually royal letters patent proclaimed his in- 
nocence ; and for the injustice done he was presented 
with the towns of Kesmark and Debreczen. This, 
however, did not satisfy him, and he at once set about 
to revenge himself. Approaching Ferdinand, he was 
sent by him to Constantinople, and his appearance 
there in a cause so diametrically opposed to that he 
had espoused some years before not only roused the 
suspicion of the Sultan but incensed him, and Laski 
was ordered to be imprisoned, and for some time his 
life was in danger. Eventually his eloquence told 
upon the Sultan, who forgave him, and afterwards 
showered upon him many marks of favour. An illness 



TRANSYLVANIA AND TRANS YLVANIANS 173 

in Constantinople led to his return to Poland, where 
he died in 1542. He is a little known figure in 
history, but his gifts were such that Erasmus in his 
letters says he learned many things of him " and 
improved by his company." His son Albert was 
received by Queen Elizabeth of England, and it is 
said that " the honours which were shown to him at 
Oxford, by the special command of the Queen, were 
equal to those rendered to sovereign princes." 

Another theory advanced by some historians con- 
cerning this period is that Transylvania achieved her 
independence under bad auspices, and that Zapolyai 
submitted to the degradation of paying tribute to the 
Porte in lieu of, or as a tax for independence. Un- 
certainty looms everywhere, and a variety of opinions 
has baffled the few serious historians who have tried 
to account for and explain the past of the country, 
proving again and again that " history is not an exact 
science." In the fortunes — whatever they were — of 
Transylvania three other men had something to say. 
These were Gabriel Bethlen, Stephen Bocskai, and 
Stephen Bathory. The former was a man of ex- 
ceptional gifts, and the part that he played is outlined 
earlier in the book. Bocskai is less known than 
Bathory outside the confines of Transylvania, but his 
power was considerable and his influence great. 
Bathory, without that ambition which characterised 
so many men of the period, rose by reason of his 
sterling qualities to the throne of Poland. So great, 
indeed, was his reputation, that though he was a 
Protestant, the clergy did not dare to oppose his 
election. Unfortunately, Solikowski, a dangerous 
Catholic prelate, with a delegation composed of 
thirteen members, was sent to Bathory to announce 



174 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

his elevation to the throne of Poland. Of this delega- 
tion all save one were anti-Romanists. In spite of 
being closely watched, for they distrusted him, 
Solikowski obtained an interview with Bathory one 
night, and was successful in persuading him that he 
had no chance of maintaining himself on the throne 
to which he was elected, save by becoming a Papist. 
Detecting a hesitancy in Bathory, Solikowski said that 
one condition of his election was a matrimonial alliance 
with the Princess Anna, sister to Sigismund Augustus, 
but being a bigoted Catholic, she would never accept 
a Protestant husband. Poor man ! he fell, and thus 
Protestantism lost a champion, and the Reformation 
in Poland was checked. Protestantism, however, was 
not forgotten by him, and he confirmed the rights of 
the anti-Romanist Confessions, opposed strongly all 
religious persecution, rewarded merit without regard 
to confessional differences, and rigorously suppressed 
all attempts to persecute anti-Romanists. He v/as 
unfortunately short-sighted enough to set much store 
by the Jesuits, who had no difficulty in insinuating 
themselves into favour with this royal and zealous 
patron of science and literature. Had he been gifted 
with that large knowledge of the ways of men, he 
would not have been deluded by the Jesuit Possevinus — 
who in turn was deceived by the Csar Ivan Vasilovics 
— into the belief that the peace of 1 5 82 was the supreme 
need. Thus the country was deprived of many great 
and lasting advantages which could have been obtained 
by prosecuting the war ; and history is given an ex- 
ample of final weakness eclipsing the good of a lifetime. 
It was just that essential insight into human character 
which Bathory did not possess, but which a multitude 
of priests discerned, that dimmed the glory of his life. 



TRANSYLVANIA AND TRANSYLVANIANS 175 

The separate nature of Transylvania can easily be 
seen when one considers that it had its own princes 
and its own Parliament, There was something 
interesting about this Diet, or Parliament. Hungarians 
point out with pride that the supremacy of their race 
was such that no Szekler or Saxon ever wore the cap 
of State in Transylvania — that is, the Diet never 
elected one of these as Prince. The great foundation- 
stone of Transylvanian constitutionalism, the Diploma 
Leopoldmtmi, illustrates in a measure the methods of 
government employed, and bears contrast to that of 
Hungary, Primarily it ensured equal religious rights 
to Catholics, Lutherans, Reformed, and Unitarians ; 
with the permission to build churches anywhere. And 
it further secured to such as these all the lands, tithes, 
benefices, foundations, churches, schools, etc., in pos- 
session at that moment, even though such may have 
formerly belonged to some other religious body. Civil 
privileges were granted to all Transylvanians, ac- 
cording to the established laws of Hungary. The 
Saxons to retain their municipal organisation. No 
change was promised concerning the form of govern- 
ment, appointment of Privy Council, constitution of 
the Diet, method of voting, nor administration of 
justice, save that of the right of appeal to the Crown. 
Foreigners were excluded from office. Clause VL 
is interesting, for it declared that property reverting 
to the Crown by reason of the extinction of families 
had to be bestowed upon deserving persons, and 
Transylvanians possessing property in Hungary to 
enjoy the same rights as Hungarians. It further 
declared that the President of the Privy Council, the 
Commander-in-Chief of the Transylvanian Militia, 
the Chancellor, and the members of the Privy Council, 



176 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

etc., must be natives and chosen by the Diet. In 
the Privy and Supreme Courts a fourth of the members 
had to be Catholics. Whilst an Annual Diet was 
guaranteed, dissolution depended on the royal will. 
The Governor was called upon to reside in the country, 
to be a member both of the Privy Council and the 
Bench of Judges, his salary being paid by the Crown. 
Seeing that war was not infrequent, an annual tribute 
of 50,000 thalers was levied in times of peace. But 
supposing war was waged against Hungary and 
Transylvania, 400,000 florins had to be paid, which 
included supplies delivered in kind. The Diet was 
left the task of assessing this amount. All other 
charges were borne by the Crown out of revenue 
derived from the salt-tax, metal-tax, the custom's 
tenth from the Saxons, and the tithe rent from the 
Magyars. Free Szeklers, though tax free, had to 
perform military service. Amongst other items, it 
was essential to maintain troops for protection, etc., 
under the command of an Austrian general, who had 
strict orders not to mix in civil affairs, and in matters 
of war was obliged to maintain a good understand- 
ing with the Governor, the Diet, and the Privy 
Council. 

Every county and free town used to send members 
to the Diet. And equal voting power was possessed 
by the three nations — Magyars, Saxons, and Szeklers 
— right down to 1791. In the old Diet one saw 
about 46 Magyars, 1 8 Szeklers, and 1 8 Saxons, 
with two representatives of abbeys, and often a 
Catholic and a United Greek bishop, both of whom 
claimed a seat. There was also what were known 
as " Regalists," which the Crown had the power to 
call up : these sat and legislated by " royal letters," 



TRANSYLVANIA AND TRANS YLVANIANS 177 

They were unlimited in number, and chosen from the 
aristocracy. Some of them were nominated for Hfe 
by the Crown, others simply held seats by virtue of 
their office as lord-lieutenants and privy councillors. 
Under Maria Theresa the number of these " Regalists " 
was limited to 89. But the regulation was often 
infringed upon, until in fact in 1830 these numbered 
more than 200. 

Every Szekler claimed to be a noble born, and in 
fact they enjoyed most of the privileges of such for 
some time, but it is interesting to discover that even 
the Szeklers paid taxes, which the ascendant Magyar 
nobility did not. In both the Saxons and the 
Szeklers there was something of that spirit and 
practice which led people to describe them as 
democratic peoples. Democracy, like liberty, is over- 
laden with unsatisfactory definitions. There was no 
talk of " nobles " and " non nobles " amongst them. 
On the one hand, the Szeklers claimed nobility for 
their entire race ; on the other, the Saxons regarded 
as one of their fundamental laws the equality of every 
individual member of their race. However much was 
done to accentuate or exaggerate nationality, one thing 
was evident, that both Szeklers and Magyars spoke 
the same language and were conscious of a common 
origin. The Wallachs, on the other hand, though 
numerically strong, were not regarded in any sense 
" as a political nation," but only as a subject race. 
Apparently it was a question of " nobility," for many 
Rouman nobles were " freely admitted to the county 
sessions as if they had been Magyars," whilst Magyar 
peasants were excluded as if they had been Roumans. 
The peasantry were a conquered class. In theory at 
least Transylvania has always formed part of the 
12 



178 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Hungarian kingdom, , and though for i6o years 
the two Legislatures were distinct and separate, this 
was only, according to Professor Patterson, " a device 
of absolutism to weaken the constitution on both sides 
of the Kiralyhago." The Kiralyhago is the ridge 
which separates Hungary and Transylvania. There 
was a vast difference between Croatia and Transylvania. 
One was a socimn j'egnmn, which for its particular local 
purposes was possessed of a separate Legislature, but 
which was also represented in the Legislature of the 
parent body or ally. The Diet of Transylvania was 
vastly different to this. In May 1848, after frequent 
proposals, extending from 1688 to that year, the 
union of Hungary and Transylvania was achieved, 
and provision was made for 69 representatives of 
Transylvania to sit in the Hungarian Diet. This 
was disturbed by the allied forces of Austria and 
Russia, and separation again came. Transylvania 
was then regarded as one of the " crown-lands." Herr 
von Schmerling did all that he could to promote 
conditions favourable to Vienna. Pitting the various 
races against each other in Transylvania was hoped 
to accomplish much, and particularly to do harm to 
the Magyars, and a new electoral law for Transylvania 
was intended to accomplish more ; but it only partially 
succeeded. What really happened was that a body 
of representatives were sent from the Transylvanian 
Diet to sit in the Reichsrath at Vienna. Both Magyar 
and Szekler members heartily opposed this act, and 
refused to enter the Diet. Then came the fall of the 
Schmerling Ministry, and not long after it the corona- 
tion of Francis Joseph, which meant better days for 
Hungary and the real union of Transylvania with 
Hungary. Historical episodes practically close with 



TRANSYLVANIA AND TRANSYLVANIANS 179 

this act. I have often been asked why this part of 
Hungary was called Transylvania, or what is the 
meaning of the name ? Sometimes it was spoken of 
as " the land beyond the forests " ; other people have 
termed it, as did the Germans and the Saxons, " the 
land of the seven fortresses." For the meaning of 
the latter description one is supposed to go back to 
Roman times and the walled cities these people 
built. 

The usual measure of chaffing was indulged in 
during the stormy periods of its history, and the 
Hungarian Magyars frequently spoke of " Little 
Transylvania " ; but the Magyars of Transylvania, with 
no small sense of poetic feeling, called it " Fair Transyl- 
vania." It is recorded that Bathory on one occasion 
displayed no ordinary sensualistic taste by declaring 
that it " hardly supplied enough for a breakfast." 

It is perfectly true that the country is for ever chang- 
ing, and yet some traits will never disappear as long as 
the race exists. In hospitality they are not to be 
equalled, nor in courtesy. Combined with these two 
lovable qualities is a sound diplomatic capacity, which 
it is said came into life in the old days when trimming 
between German and Turk was a necessity. One feels 
even to-day a kind of aristocratic exclusiveness about 
all the great names, the Bdnffys, Bethlens, Kemenys, 
Telekis, and Wessel^nyis. 

When I first walked into the great square at 
Kolozsvdr, all the old-world spirit came to me just as 
I wanted it to ' come. There was nothing unduly 
modern to disturb me, nor destroy the picture which 
history and imagination had created. If perchance 
some conversation revealed a mundane modern mind 
terribly near me, I was at once hurried back to the 



i8o HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

past by a very uneven piece of road, an uncommon 
costume, a quaint gable, or a strange tickling of the 
primitive sense. Whenever I visit, and I love to visit it 
often, I feel immediately the Protestantism of the town. 
Commerce having sought other fields, has practically 
left Kolozsvar to itself. And much as I perceive the 
value of industry and commerce, I do believe in pre- 
serving certain places from it. Like the Alfold and 
Debreczen, one may easily perceive the Magyar element 
in the town, but it is an element composed of finer 
intellectual material and none the less patriotic. 

Small though it may be, Kolozsvar has more to show 
the visitor than most Hungarian towns. I was not 
there long before I was shown where King Matthias 
was born. It was in the oldest part of the city, a 
small one-storeyed house, now happily used as a museum. 
Not far from this spot Stephen Bocskay first saw the 
light. What a lot names such as these mean to the 
people even to this day ! I am afraid that we have a 
tendency to forget our heroes in England. Of all the 
churches that really deeply influenced me in Hungary, 
that fine example of mediaeval architecture in Kolozsvar 
made a stronger appeal to me than any other. Just 
as a man may be more forcibly reminded of great 
events by seeing for a moment a friend with his medals 
on and scarred face, so I was impressed because of 
the evidences of wars and struggles and retarding 
influences which the building bears. At one time this 
huge square was disfigured by an ugly old Guard 
House besmeared with streaks of yellow and black. 
The foundations of the church were laid about the 
beginning of the fifteenth century. Pope Boniface 
generously granting an indulgence to all promoting 
the growth of the building. Inside, just two or three 



TRANSYLVANIA AND TRANSYLVANIANS i8i 

points are of interest. Look at the high altar for a 
few moments, and recall the incident of Zapolya's 
widow, Queen Isabella, handing over to Castaldo, the 
representative of Ferdinand I., the Hungarian crown 
" with all its appurtenances." As I stood and gazed 
at the spot I almost seemed to hear Isabella expressing 
her wish that the crown she handed over would never 
again rest upon a Hungarian brow. Little did she 
realise that she was making history then, for none save 
those of the House of Habsburg have worn it. 

Phase after phase this church has survived. Posses- 
sion by the Lutherans, and the removal of its altars 
and images. Then came the turn of the Unitarians, 
who were turned out by the Jesuits. When 
General Basta retired, the Unitarians cleared the 
Jesuits out, and remained in possession right down to 
17 1 6, when the Catholics regained the church, and 
have held it ever since, A great crucifix may be seen 
in the church, which is supposed to have been the one 
taken out when the Lutherans enjoyed possession. A 
very fine piece of sculpture is found at the sacristy 
door. It is in the Renaissance style and perfectly 
finished. A Gothic tower built on the north side of 
the church is regarded by many as unsafe. 

Kolozsvar is also one of the great homes of the 
Hungarian drama. The new theatre is one of the 
finest in the land, worthy of the part Kolozsvar has 
played in the history of dramatic art. 

Apart from the objects of interest in brick and stone 
with which the town abounds, students of ethnology 
and all visitors find Kolozsvdr fascinating by reason of 
the multitude of nationalities meeting here and the 
variety of their costume. Before I visited Hungary 
I imagined that every branch of collecting had been 



1 82 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

captured by someone, but I see to-day how mistaken 
I was ; for, tiring of autographs, pottery, or stamps, one 
may enter upon a new field, equally absorbing and 
valuable, that of making a collection of peasants' hats. 
In colour, shape, size, and design, Kolozsvar is not to 
be beaten for such. Here the peasant type varies 
from the extreme north and centre of Hungary. A 
writer in the thirties of the last century says " the 
Transylvanian peasant is generally superstitious and 
deceitful." These weaknesses were attributed to their 
ignorance, and those peasants who were members of 
the Greek Church were more ignorant than the rest. 
Since then things have changed, and my own personal 
contact with the Transylvanian peasantry proves the 
direct reverse. One of the outstanding features of the 
town is its intellectual atmosphere of calm, a distinct in- 
centive to freedom, with an unfortunate tendency towards 
procrastination. Here hurry is unknown. Everything 
bespeaks leisure. Churches meet you at every turn. 
Wide streets, cobbled it is true, and wide paths provide 
continual opportunity for gossip. One is never jostled, 
for the big world lies a long way away. Echoes of it 
arrive from time to time, and then groups multiply in 
the streets, and the inhabitants of the kdvihdz stay 
longer over their coffee. That is all. The true spirit 
of a University town is ever present. Don't imagine 
all this means an absence of life. On the contrary, it 
indicates the presence of life. Restless activity and 
noise do not necessarily imply life. Mingled with 
the air of study is the necessary compound of gaiety, 
one aiding the other. Social life is rendered more 
valuable by reason of intellectual seriousness, and here 
conversation takes a less physical form. Extremes 
are visible, but, like the hurried grouping of colours in 




%M 



TRANSYLVANIAN PEASANTS, KOLOZSVAR 



TRANSYLVANIA AND TRANSYLVANIANS 183 

a peasant's costume, they do not jar upon one. Much 
is accepted as inevitable, and standards differ. Walking 
one day in the big square, I was struck by the ease 
and unconcern of a peasant changing his socks on 
the edge of the kerb. For the care he took over his 
task he might have been within the sacred precincts 
of his cottage. This was not mere ignorance of custom, 
nor desire to combat custom. Neither was it an 
evidence of stupidity or lawlessness, but a sense of 
freedom, and the consciousness that by such a cleanly 
act none were being outraged. Acts such as these 
must not be misinterpreted. The geographical situa- 
tion of Kolozsvar itself, surrounded as it is by high 
mountains, adds a charm and a unique consciousness 
of literary safety which no other town possesses. It is 
a haven of rest for writers, rest in order to work and 
worship, with all the compilations of nature surrounding 
one, and providing data no writer has exhausted nor 
adequately tapped. All this was deeply impressed upon 
me whilst sitting in the quaint old-world garden of 
the Maria-Erzsebet Red Cross Hospital, watching Dr. 
Brandt move leisurely amongst his patients and his 
flowers clad in that familiar scarlet jacket of his. 
Just over the wall — one of those fine old walls — one 
could see a row of majestic poplars waving gracefully 
to and fro, as if dancing to the song of the summer 
wind. The rich, pure air, the sweet song of the birds, 
the fragrance of the flowers, the blue sky, and the 
ineffable calm, simply chased away " dull care and 
melancholy." Sometimes I have felt like this whilst 
sitting on the banks of the river at Oxford listening 
to the unfriendly resonance of the " Mighty Tom." 
But there was always something lacking there. One 
rarely desired to express oneself. There were too 



1 84 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

many lunches, and dinners, and parties. In Kolozsvar 
something goes out of one first, then come inrushing 
sensations, insinuating, suggestive theories and pictures. 
Poetry is readable here. It surrounds one. Often 
would I leave the quietude of the garden — sometimes, 
it is true, chased away by the heat of the sun — and 
seek the long, straight street, as if to test the value of 
the association the garden had engendered. The 
feeling did not vanish as I lazily strolled to and fro, 
wondering where in the world the forty-six thousand 
inhabitants were housed. Youth seemed to return, 
and life appeared " a vista of unmeasured years." 
What more does a writer need ? All these things are 
withheld from the " tripper." Yet I am convinced that 
the American would find Kolozsvar more interesting 
than any other town in Hungary, Americans come 
to Budapest to see the Hungarians, and leave with 
many regrets, having seen but palaces and churches. 
In Kolozsvar one may see real people, costume-clad 
people, strange equipages, historic houses. Everything 
invites to contemplation. Both the attractive and the 
impressive are present. Nature's colouring is superb, 
and man in his varied types moves comfortably within 
the radius of the busy mart. 



CHAPTER XI 

SZJ&KLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 

"I came to your town once on a holiday." — Kantemier 

FROM whatever angle Kolozsvar is approached, 
nature and history have marked their apprecia- 
tion. Herein hes an additional pleasure to be gained 
by a visit there. Once I entered the town from Banffy- 
Hunyad. In no part of Hungary — or, to be correct, 
Transylvania — have the inhabitants retained their 
original customs, dress, and manners more than in 
Banffy-Hunyad. It is a perfect picture. The women 
are wonderful. The embroidery-hunter must not pass 
Banffy-Hunyad on the other side. I was motoring 
through to Roumania and Turkey then, and a huge 
crowd assembled at lighting-up time to gaze at the 
car. Just as I was ready to leave, a young and 
stylishly dressed lady approached, and in excellent 
English asked whether she could be of any assistance 
in directing me to Kolozsvar. I thanked her, and 
she plied me with questions concerning the journey 
with the usual measure of Hungarian curiosity. It 
was pleasant to hear one's mother tongue so charm- 
ingly spoken far away from the track of the Anglo- 
Saxon. Having been told that at Szamos-Ujvar I 
might find nearly 6000 Magyarised Armenians, 

i8s 



1 86 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

I wandered there one morning, and was delighted with 
the little settlement. It is on the Kolozsvar-Zilah 
branch of the Szamos Valley line. Inexpensive and 
not distant One of the sights of the place is the 
Armenian Catholic church, which contains a fine 
example of the art of Rubens. Bands of these 
people apparently came from Moldavia in the seven- 
teenth century. They are clever in commerce, and 
have become most praiseworthy Magyars. There is 
another settlement at Erz^betvdros, not far from the 
Roumanian frontier. The greatest luck in the world 
led to my seeing a place which under ordinary con- 
ditions I should just have passed through. Torda, 
about 34 kilometres from Kolozsvar, was intended 
only as a breakfasting-place. To reach it many hills 
must be climbed, but everything you do on the road 
is repaid with interest by the view disclosed all the 
way. The entire district is noted for its salt pools. 
Steaming into the hotel yard with a distinctly proud 
feeling, for the car had done splendidly, food and 
drink were called for, and without attempting to 
chase the dust from my clothes, I sat in a primitive 
looking shed which was decorated with circus bills of 
three years agone, and drank my coffee. I was soon 
joined by the chauffeur. No burst, no breakage, only 
a small adjustment. Not a terrible chapter of woes. 
Without thinking of what I was doing, I turned my 
eye over the car, and to my surprise detected a leakage 
in the tank. It was so small that I did not even 
worry. Breakfast over, repairing implements were 
hauled out, and an attempt was made to solder the 
joint. The truth to tell, it took all day; meanwhile 
I had an opportunity of looking at Torda and its 
surroundings. Not far away is Toroczk6, a regular 



SZfiKLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 187 

Alpine haunt. Here both the men and women are 
of finer physique than any other in tlie land. Just 
like Banffy-Hunyad, only more so, they have retained 
in their social isolation all the most fascinating char- 
acteristics of their race. On my return the car was 
ready, and Nagy-Enyed was marked as the next 
halting-place. Having missed the road, for it is difficult 
sometimes to know, seeing that so little is marked by 
stones or posts, I inquired of a most respectably dressed 
man the best way to take, and he insisted on my 
having some wine with him, as it was essential to pass 
his house. Jumping into the car, he piloted us to the 
road leading to Nagy-Enyed. Hospitality has its 
drawbacks, for he was so charming a host that a 
new time-table had to be prepared. One is always 
doing this kind of thing when visiting in Hungary. 
He told me he was a Szekler. 

Naturally I looked for characteristics I had not met 
with in the Magyar, and I found them. I think the 
Szekler more inclined to business, and as such, deep 
and sly, with a certain cantankerous disposition towards 
litigation. He is also content with a simpler method 
of life, and of a more roving or nomadic character. 
Peculiarities abound. The question of the origin of 
this people has led to much research and little certainty. 
Some aver that they are the remnant of Attila's Huns, 
others that they belong to those Avars whom Charle- 
magne defeated ; whilst a younger school maintain 
that they belonged to those Magyars who were 
attacked by Simeon, the Bulgarian king. If one asks 
a Szekler, he will probably respond by singing — 

"Therefore, because I am a Szekler, 
I call no man lord. 
Attila was my father, 
A fair inheritance has been left me." 



1 88 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

They also have a proverb which runs thus : " The 
difference between a Szekler and a Magyar is the 
difference between a man's son and his grandson." 
This infers prior occupation of the land. In all this 
the traditional element is found. In the early days 
there was a simplicity, frugality, and an almost Hebrew 
shrewdness about these people. There was a compact- 
ness about their race which rendered them a most 
effective force in counteracting any schemes which the 
agitators of Bucarest might entertain on behalf of the 
Roumanian element in Hungary. Two or three great 
qualities they possess, independent of those already 
mentioned. They are courageous, industrious, and 
patriotic. During the Revolution of 1848 they played 
a big part in Transylvania. Some 40,000 of them 
were collected together at Agyagfalva to stem the 
torrent of Wallach insurrection. It was not an easy 
task to induce these people to take the field, and many 
were inclined to submit rather than fight. One of the 
causes of unrest amongst them at the beginning was 
the fact that their opponents had cannon. Amongst 
these native fighters was an old warrior who on 
discovering the dilemma promised within a week to 
make a cannon. He achieved his task, and its first 
report was so loud that all waverers were won, and the 
multitude shouted, " Ours speaks louder than theirs ! " 

One who served as an officer and commanded many 
Szeklers said : " We found them of a peculiarly ex- 
citable temperament ; but just as they were more 
easy to rouse to action than the other Hungarians, 
so they were more easily thrown into despondency. 
It was only by the severest threats that we could 
prevent them from throwing their powder into the 
fire when they heard of the Russian intervention." 



SZEKLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 189 

Leaving my good friend behind with many regrets, 
it was not until late in the day that Nagy-Enyed was 
reached. To move on farther was an impossibility, 
and as I wanted to see something of the place, I 
settled down to whatever the town could provide. 
In these out-of-the-way spots it is better not to 
expect too much. To-day there are two hotels and 
an old Gothic Reformed church. Nothing of the 
former glory of the town remains. Even that 
atmosphere which sometimes survives a massacre 
or a fire is lacking. Yet one loves the spot for what 
it was. There is a generosity which one is able to 
call up, which is the result of a memory. The hotel 
struggled its hardest, and brought forth nothing. 
Feeling that the English were difficult to please, or 
realising the limitations of his larder and cellar, the 
genial landlord gathered a goodly crowd of citizens 
to meet me, to hear of the long motor ride. From 
one of these I was able to cull something, though 
he was, like his fellows, more inclined to ask questions. 
But I must not forget that as we sat over our cigars 
at night one of the men disappeared, returning " bring- 
ing his sheaves with him " in the form of several bottles 
of most excellent wine. Thus passed the hours. During 
the conversation two things were forced upon my mind : 
one was the old-time Protestant and intellectual glory 
of the town ; the other, hatred of the Roumanians. 
It was the first time I had really come into contact 
with this feeling. One could scarcely call it a differ- 
ence of nationality : it was something deeper, it was 
racial enmity. Nationality and race are two terms 
that are always demanding interpretation. It is said 
that " nationality and national character are the results 
as well as, if not rather than, the causes of history." 



I90 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Such does not explain race. If one could push back 
the hands of time to 1848, and then peep in at Nagy- 
Enyed, what a different story could be told ! In the 
Protestant College then a thousand scholars were in- 
tellectually fed. The College, in fact, was the centre 
of everything. It was the largest proprietor, and 
owned the largest houses and the finest vineyards. 
The association of Gabriel Bethlen with it added even 
greater distinction. In 1848, when the whole land 
was tingling with revolution, Austria did its utmost, 
and eventually succeeded in harassing the efforts of 
the Magyars in this part of the kingdom. Roumanian 
disaffection and antipathy was known to exist, and this 
was seized upon and so worked up that massacre, 
plunder, and arson devastated the whole area round 
Nagy-Enyed. Professor Patterson tells of a traveller 
who, when passing through Aranyosszek in the spring 
of 1849, asked his driver, when they once stopped for 
refreshment, how far they were from Felvincz, this 
being a once noted town. " Your honour," was the 
reply, " is now exactly in the middle of Felvincz." 
Not a stick of the place was allowed to remain. All 
this was the work of the Wallachs. Needless brutality 
was practised. During this spell of lawlessness some 
of them seized a landlord, put out his eyes, then placing 
him in front of one of his great farms, asked him if 
he still saw it. So terrible was this period and so 
ruthless were the Wallachs that many Magyars on 
hearing of their approach preferred suicide to murder. 
Enyed unfortunately was cut off from military salvation 
by reason of its geographical difficulties. Without a 
blow being struck, the town was given up. The 
wonderful collection of antiquities disappeared, and 
soon most of the principal citizens also, seeing that 



SZ£KLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 191 

the military had left. No great disaster was wrought 
on this occasion. When, however, the Pole Bern was 
given command of the Hungarian troops in Transyl- 
vania, and accomplished so many daring things, another 
storm was gently brewing, and the successes of the 
Pole only intensified it. A priest of the Greek Church 
and a Roumanian entered Enyed on the 8th of January 
1849 with a small armed force, but the inhabitants 
were assured that there was no danger in his presence. 
At eventide another troop entered the town, ordered 
thither by a Roumanian, and the task of firing the 
town was commenced. Nothing was spared ; neither 
property nor woman was regarded as sacred. The 
Catholic clergy died, crucifix in hand, in full canonicals. 
On the I oth of January the Wallachs withdrew, leaving 
only a charred mass and thousands of dead bodies. 
The College was burnt out room by room, its library 
of 36,000 volumes destroyed, also its various collec- 
tions. But one of the most serious losses was that of 
an immense number of MSS. and documents relating 
to Transylvanian history. 

These Wallachs are not romanised Dacians, but 
they had their origin doubtless in the Balkans, and 
during the twelfth century wandered into Transylvania. 
I have seen much of these people not merely near 
Enyed, but in Szilagy coniitdt and in various other 
counties. There is a rough, uncouth, wild picturesque- 
ness about them that appeals to the artist more than 
the writer. Once 1 saw them roused. It was at 
Vajda-Hunyad, when 800 of them descended upon 
the town one morning all armed with modern and 
primitive weapons. Making for the Town Hall, they 
smashed the windows and practically wrecked the 
building, but fortunately only killed an Italian who 



192 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

defended some Magyars. One could easily see even 
from a distance that with a few up-to-date implements 
they are capable of doing much harm. When these 
creatures first came to Hungary they made for the 
mountains. In appearance there is something in 
common between a mountain and a Wallach. Farmers 
have told me that they make excellent shepherds. 
Many of them tired of the mountains and came down 
into the valleys, where they were taken as servants. 
In the early days they must have made good servants, 
for when Mr. Paget travelled through Transylvania he 
met an old countess who was lamenting the changed 
times. Peasants, and Wallachs in particular, were 
no longer respectful as they used to be. In the good 
old days she could remember walking to church on 
the backs of the peasants, who knelt down in the mud 
to allow her to pass over them without soiling her 
shoes. I think it is good that such days are over. 

In a Wallach village the well is still a good gossiping- 
spot for maids and matrons. These women have a 
very pretty custom, that of throwing a small quantity 
of the water from the full pitcher back again to the 
well. This is said to be done in order to appease the 
spirit of the well. Some of the Wallachs that I have 
met were supposed to have been of Szekler origin. 
They are tall, fair-haired, with long, serious faces ; but 
they are not lazy : on the other hand, they are plodding, 
and many of them skilful. Quite a different type may 
be found beside the Transylvanian streams. These 
are dark-skinned, with round, happy-looking faces, 
less industrious perhaps, but not criminal. In 
Hungary proper yet another type is furnished. A 
race of short, strong, morose-looking men with broad 
faces, bead-like eyes, and rich black hair. Youth is 



SZ^KLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 193 

the time in which to gaze at a Wallach woman. Age 
creeps on these poor creatures apace. On the whole 
they do not strike one as having a very strong 
physique. But they have finely chiselled faces, and are 
very industrious. There is much conservatism about 
the Wallach nature. They are not fond of learning 
languages, and are not very generously minded to 
those of another race. The men are very obstinate 
and tough customers, given to revenge, and when 
angered very destructive. Yet they are patient, 
content with modest things, and though somewhat 
indolent regarding mundane affairs, they are religious. 
With such fine abilities as many of them possess, it 
is amazing that more progress is not made. Unfor- 
tunately, the priest has too great a hold over them. 

They have their own language, which is soft and 
abounding in vowels. Most of its words are derived 
from the Latin. In pronunciation a similarity to 
modern Italian is easily recognisable, and the inflexions 
and terminations resemble that language rather than 
Latin. One must not suppose that the Wallachs of 
Maramaros are able to fully understand the Roumanians 
who may come over from Bucarest. An interesting 
feature of Wallachian is the placing of the article at 
the end of the noun. The courage of the Wallach has 
been for long a question of dispute. Mr. Paget never 
doubted their bravery, and from what I have seen 
of them there has been no deterioration of race in 
this direction. M. de G6rando says : " Something of 
Roman valour has remained among them, and when 
they compare themselves with the Saxons, whose 
pacific ardour is seldom exercised but in the pursuit 
of commerce, they are wont to say, La un Roman dece 
Sassi, ' To one Wallach ten Saxons.' " I daresay the 
13 



194 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Saxon reverses this. There is, however, a distinct 
inferiority about these people. That they are more 
superstitious than their neighbours is without doubt. 
There is a paganism about many of their superstitions. 
An onion in the mouth of the corpse is supposed to 
be an efficient charm against the contagious disease 
from which the victim died. A strong behef in ghosts 
is prevalent. One poor fellow was so afraid of his 
dead wife's appearing to strangle him, that he rushed 
to the burying-ground, dug up the corpse, collected 
all the neighbours possible, then hacked it to pieces 
and reburied it. Much of this is happily fading away 
before the glow of education. The revolting practices 
into which superstition led them may disappear, but 
not superstition itself. About forty years ago, in the 
county of Bihar, cholera raged furiously, and a Wallach 
village, in order to elude the epidemic, selected six 
maidens and six young unmarried men, all of whom 
were in " nature's birthday garb," and these with a 
new plough drew a furrow round the entire village 
over which no demon could pass. This was giving 
purity a high place. In some cases their ignorance 
is appalling. One is often told of a Wallach peasant 
being despatched by his master with a message to 
another village, and on arrival knows neither whom it 
was from nor to whom he was supposed to deliver it. 
Now, alas ! they listen to unscrupulous appeals from 
equally unscrupulous political agitators, and young 
and old ahke, educated and uneducated, are guilty 
of outrages not merely against common law, but 
outrages that are cowardly and despicable. The 
conception and idea of a large Roumania is constantly 
held up before these people, and though many are 
amenable to common sense, the village-folk in distant 



SZfiKLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 195 

areas are always a source of danger to the Magyars 
who may happen to hold some official position there. 

In Szilagy-Cseh, where there are many Roumanians, 
I was fortunate enough to be present at a political 
meeting. This is one of the danger zones. Many 
were killed here in the voting-room a few years ago, 
and at the last election, two years ago, the disturbance 
was so great that the presiding officer had to close 
the poll early in the day. The Wallachs simply 
swarmed into the town, for their candidate was a 
priest. On the other side was a Hungarian Catholic 
priest, a friend of mine. It was a midday meeting, and we 
had interruption but no rioting. At the banquet which 
followed — and a political meeting in Hungary is sufficient 
pretence for a banquet — a young man approached me 
and in broken English asked me to step into his carriage 
and see his wife. Imagine my surprise to find absolutely 
alone, amongst these wild hill-folk, cut adrift from 
civilisation, a young and charming English lady. For 
a year at a time she had no opportunity of speaking 
her own language. It was a joy to both of us. 

Out visiting with a friend one day, he called on 
one of the peasants, and we sat and drank wine, 
chatting away for an hour in mixed Wallachian and 
Hungarian. There was an air of calm and repose 
about this little home which reminded me of the 
farm-labourer's cottage in Norfolk. Evidently it was 
not the average peasant we were visiting. The 
man wore a home-spun and home-dyed jacket, loose 
and shapeless. Our visit was anticipated, and the 
pair had adorned themselves. The room was not 
overcrowded with furniture. A highly striped cloth 
had found its way on to the table. In the corner 
stood a spinning-jenny, but not for show. Four little 



196 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

jugs hung from the wall, a row of uncommon 
colour. Three religious pictures, one the Sistine 
Madonna, supported by two less effective prints, 
formed the only other decorative emblems. There 
was, of course, the inevitable stove. Of such stoves, 
an old emperor once said " it required as much talent 
to warm a room as to rule a kingdom." Upon the 
bed rested a pile of pillows and coverlets that almost 
reached the ceiling. It was a tresselled table, not for 
use. But the little wife was a gem. I fell in love 
with her immediately. When we chatted away in 
Hungarian, she looked appealingly to her spouse to 
translate it, and he did. On her head was artistically 
twisted a richly hued handkerchief, the front of which 
gave her a nun-like appearance. The rich brown of 
her face was in perfect harmony with the crowding, 
jostling colours. Two cheap little trinkets were found 
in her ears, and they looked like real gems. It was 
a white blouse that she wore, full and long in sleeves, 
with marvellous hand-made lace flowing over on to 
the hands. The white of the blouse was broken by 
yellow embroidery, and a red and yellow buttonless 
vest which left room for a display of blue ribbons 
round the neck. A dark skirt, heavily embroidered 
in colour at the bottom, was surmounted by an apron 
in a crushed-strawberry hue, bearing on its surface 
stripes of pale blue and brown. One must see such 
to fully appreciate it. Of course there were other 
rooms, but these were not for English eyes. 

On another occasion I made friends with some 
Roumanians who had outgrown everything interest- 
ing, and were simply normal Western people. These 
fortunately are few in number. The question as to 
whether their racial hatred of the Magyars will 



SZfiKLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 197 

eventually disappear is an intricate one. My own 
opinion is that providing Bucarest relinquishes 
agitation, and the Magyars devote special helpful 
legislation to the Roumanians, then there is a possi- 
bility. But so long as existing conditions continue, 
never. In the Wallach-Roumanian there is colour. 

The other Transylvanian race, the Saxons, I saw 
something of in Nagy-Szeben and its environs. 
Before going to Nagy-Szeben, there were two places I 
wanted to visit, and though a trifle out of the way, 
I determined to take them in this journey. My 
decision was aided by a misty rain which drove me 
to Gyula-Fehervar. I confess that when I arrived 
I was not conscious of its past glory. It is one of 
the towns you must go a long way from ordinary 
routes to run across. Here the princes of Transyl- 
vania once resided, whilst to-day it is the residence 
of the Bishop of Transylvania. There is a citadel and 
a cathedral to be seen, the latter having been restored 
in 1444 by John Hunyadi. Here I chanced to 
meet a Hungarian officer I knew, and the hours 
sped. It was amazing to find again so many people 
learning English. But the chief value of my visit 
was the opportunity it afforded me of going to see 
the famous Castle of Vajda-Hunj-ad. If you visit a 
Hungarian picture gallery, or the Castle at Buda, or 
even the Parliament, a magnificent picture of this 
wonderful home of the dashing Conqueror of the 
Turks may be found. One may spend a happy 
week at Vajda-Hunyad. There, on the peak of a 
lofty old chalk crag, stands the Castle. It is much 
newer than one expected it to be. To reach it you 
must cross the little bridgQ which spans the Zalasd. 
The Castle is the work of a Frenchman whose name 



198 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

is now forgotten. In style the Gothic easily wins, 
but it is not alone. Perhaps the chief glory of the 
place is the two rows of marble columns which divide 
the manorial hall. Hunyadi Janos commenced the 
building, King Matthias continued it, and it was left 
to that great Transylvanian, Gabriel Bethlen, to 
complete it in 1624. After 1805 it passed into the 
hands of the Crown, and fifty years later was destroyed 
by fire, after which the Government ordered its re- 
construction, in which Steindl played a great part. 
This explains its newness. Two hotels, neither of 
them elaborate, will administer to the creature wants. 
Few Hungarians know this district well, but it 
abounds in romantic wild scenery. The Hatszeg 
Valley is alive with Roman ruins. One day you 
come across the remains of an old Roman amphi- 
theatre, the next other relics are seen. Mining is 
carried on near here. Quite good coal is found at 
Petrozseny. Climbing is also good, and the 
Carpathian Society have built a refuge on the top of 
the Bliine. There is no really exciting climbing to 
be done in Hungary. It is good, but not perilous. 
Few Hungarians climb, but the most noted is Dr. 
Marcell Jankovics, M.P. He, however, seeks the 
excitements of the Tyrol and Switzerland. Journey- 
ing back over much of the same road was not 
pleasant, but unavoidable. I shall never forget my 
first impressions of Nagy-Szeben. With a population 
of about 30,000, only two hotels were available. It 
seemed to me lacking in enterprise. In Hungary it 
is always best to take your bearings of a hotel before 
you decide to stay there for a few days. Here 
choice is restricted. So, instead of going straight to 
the " Romai Csaszar," I took the first restaurant, drove 



SZfiKLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 199 

into the yard, and asked for as good a lunch as they 
could serve. It was late, and so one could only get 
pot-luck. I wish ordered luncheons were as good as 
this was. The excitement caused by an unwieldy, 
snorting motor car being driven into the centre of 
a mediaeval courtyard led at once to the appearance 
of an unusual number of apparently unemployed 
domestics. To see four Englishmen swilling them- 
selves near the pump, and each man asking for a 
separate and clean towel, was too much for them. 
They collapsed. As interpreter I had a rough time 
of it, and none would believe that I was English. 
At lunch the amount of bread consujned led to 
more international complications. Every action was 
watched, every trait noted. It was a little embarrass- 
ing on one occasion to have the rosy-cheeked daughter 
ot cue kndlord sitting by my side scrutinising the 
cut of my coat. There is much give and take in 
travel. On asking whether they could accommodate 
me and my friends, a family council was immediately 
summoned, and with many pleadings and head- 
shakings it was decided as impossible. On promising 
to visit them for meals every day, I left, and drove 
straight to an undignified hotel. Let its name never 
again pass my lips. But it was the Saxons and the 
sights I was out for. Apparently the former, having 
been pushed afield by serious inundations along the 
Lower Rhine, sought and found pastures new in 
Transylvania, Colonists were needed then. There 
was a generosity about Kings and Parliaments when 
the Saxons came to Transylvania that soon ceased to 
exist. It is perfectly true there is a psychological 
moment for entering a country. The Saxons were 
fortunate, and invested with privileges which were so 



200 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

bounteous that they excited the admiration of every- 
body. There was wisdom in all this. A sparsely 
populated area, rich in fields, forests, and minerals, 
needed men, whilst Hungary and Transylvania were 
in constant need of allies and counteracting forces. 
Then as now men could not be induced to leave their 
homeland to colonise another unless some hope of 
freedom in government and defence were vouchsafed. 
To encourage divisions among his subjects was the 
aim of more than one Hungarian king, and the House 
of Habsburg in particular. For this Hungary suffered, 
and is suffering to this day. Separatism never 
succeeded in the sense applied to it by the Habsburgs. 
In the Saxon nation all were citizens. There was a 
common good understood to which all worked. There- 
fore, just as amongst the Szdklers, when a Saxon died 
without heirs, his property was distributed amongst 
his neighbcjut-s [n T'-g commune. It is difficult to 
appreciate all this to-day. The royal decrees of 
Francis II. brought some change to this liberal 
organisation. Strangely enough, none of these 
changes were seriously contested. It is another 
example of being killed or crippled by kindness. 
Power was vested in what was known as the 
Universitas Gentis SaxoniccE, or " Corporation " of the 
Saxon nation, and the younger men of the time were 
opposed to the acceptation of the changes wrought by 
Francis II. Certainly it involved a loss of prestige, 
and the Corporation exceeded its power in accepting 
them. The Saxon clergy were richer in foundations 
than their brethren, and this created envy and strife. 
In the democracy preached and practised by the 
Saxons was a parochialism which said, " democracy is 
only national." And amongst this little nation was a 



SZ^KLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 201 

conservatism in most things that betokened smallness. 
Land was conserved in Saxon hands, and not allowed 
to be sold outside. This exclusiveness was character- 
istic. I often wondered why it was that the Saxons 
joined with the Austrians in the political squabbles of 
1848. One day at Nagy-Szeben I chanced to meet 
one who was particularly well informed on these 
points, and he simply replied by saying they only 
acted up to their national motto, a motto which was 
the gift of a mediaeval king, " In defence of the 
crown." This partisanship did not benefit them, for 
with the Magyars they lost their constitution. 

Eager to become wealthy, scant in courage, were 
two of their weaknesses. Their timidity is unex- 
plainable. But everywhere one found them peaceable, 
tidy, well clothed, and dwelling in well appointed houses. 

Nagy-Szeben struck me as it must have struck 
many a traveller who preceded me, and many, I am 
convinced, who will follow. On waking up next 
morning it was some time before I could persuade 
myself that I was not in some dull German town. 
Everything Germanised. Everybody speaking German. 
It simply tired me, and I was glad to escape to my 
little restaurant where they spoke Hungarian and 
Roumanian. It is also continually enveloped in a 
kind of funereal calm. Visible stagnation. A Picture 
Gallery, not uninteresting, the usual complement of 
churches, and an excellent Museum. It was more 
than I was led to expect, and in every way worth the 
journey. The library contains nearly 1 00,000 volumes. 
In the Picture Gallery is a genuine Van Dyck, 
" Charles V. and his Wife," and about 1 000 pictures 
from the Italian, Dutch, and German masters. 
Though a great number are copies, some very good 



202 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

pictures may be seen here. There is also an excellent 
collection of engravings. The numismatic and the 
natural history collections are particularly good, less 
local than expected, and Japan and China exceedingly 
well equipped. For much of this the town is indebted 
to Governor Samuel Bruckenthal. The provincial Diet 
of Transylvania held its sittings here sometimes. The 
old-time spirit is but a memory. Now nothing relieves 
the monotony, and it is a puzzle to me how anybody 
manages to endure such a town. It is true such 
towns exist everywhere, but why? On leaving Nagy- 
Szeben I felt that before night had fallen I should 
have reached the confines of Hungary. No more 
deviations were possible, and it was a straight, 
delightful run into Brasso by way of Fogaras. Brasso, 
I knew, would be busy despite its large German 
element. Besides, Brasso had seen action. This I 
think invariably changes the colour of a town. It 
was quite dark when I arrived at the hotel, to find it 
was absolutely full up. Going next door, I found the 
same thing ; but the kindly proprietor, who spoke 
Hungarian, immediately fitted up the dining-room with 
four beds, and there food and rest were possible. Never 
for a moment does Brasso seem to rest. Geographi- 
cally the position of the town is unique. A city set 
in a basin is easily hid. Such is Brasso. Of the 
34,000 inhabitants, quite 9000 are Saxons, and these 
are to be found in the Old Town. On the slopes of 
the steep hills are to be found the Wallachs, whilst 
Sz^klers, Magyars, and Roumanians make up the full 
complement. It is the prettiest little town in Hungary. 
The Protestant Church, called by many the " Black 
Church," contains several objects of note. Flere the 
carving is wonderful, and on the outside of the choir 



SZfiKLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 203 

walls stands the twelve apostles, once resplendent in 
gold, now painted an unearthly black. This church 
was forty years being built. A fine arched doorway 
at the west end interests many. There is a boast 
existing even to-day amongst many in Bras jo, that the 
organ of this church is the third largest in the world. 
My organ of size led me to dispute this. Poor little 
town ! as I sat and gazed up at its historic walls, and 
imagined its sacking by the Tartars, its firing a 
hundred years later, its repeated sieges, and its 
conquests, I thought what a story for the poet. Even 
to-day they point with pride to two events during that 
long struggle for supremacy in Brasso with pardonable 
pride. One is the defeat of Gabriel Bathori, Prince of 
Transylvania, by Albert Weiss, who, it should be 
mentioned, was aided by the Woiwode of Wallachia ; 
and the other is the gallant defence of the fortress on 
the hill by a handful of Honveds in 1848 against the 
Russian Liiders and his force, and which many computed 
at 28,000. A small brick obelisk was erected by this 
general to commemorate his victory. 

During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries Brasso 
carried on an active trade with the Hanseatic towns, 
and to-day an extensive business is carried on in the 
manufacture of cloth, for which there is a big demand 
amongst the Roumanian peasants. On Sunday in the 
summer months it is unusually gay, bands play in the 
park, and hundreds of visitors turn out for the pro- 
menade. As it is on the direct motor road from 
Hungary to Roumania, the scent of petrol is familiar. 
Restaurants and their food are good and cheap, but the 
waiting is abominable. Transylvania in this direction 
had now been covered, and only isolated and special 
spots remained for study. To these I shall soon pass. 



CHAPTER XII 

THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 

" There's a tribe 
Of alien people, who ascribe 
The outlandish ways and dress 
On which their neighbours lay such stress, 
To their fathers and mothers having risen 
Out of some subterraneous prison." — Browning 

IF the Hungarian gipsy is not himself a speciality, 
his music is. Wandering to and fro in Transyl- 
vania, it was my good fortune to visit several csigdne 
habitations. For undiluted filth they cannot be beaten 
in Hungary. And it is no small wonder that repressive 
measures have been instituted practically over the 
entire Continent this year. Yet there is a traditional 
picturesqueness about these nomads that captivates 
one. They are a nation. As such they demand 
special consideration and legislation. In Hungary 
there are about 350,000 of these unkempt and un- 
washed pilgrims. It is supposed that they came into 
the country early in the fifteenth century. They bear, 
particularly those in the Trans-Danubian districts of 
Hungary, a marked Indian similarity. In a little 
cantonment just over the fields from P^cs one may 
find remarkable examples of Indian gipsies. Given 
the richly coloured draperies worn by the women of 
the East, and the men decorated with turbans and 



THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 205 

long loose flowing garments, I defy discovery. Facial 
expression, colour, and hair and hands eloquently 
attest their distant home. Ishmael and Hagar are 
unknown to such as these, for they see with other eyes 
and hear with other ears. Most of the men either 
worked or sat and watched another work. There 
was a genteel, almost intellectual, laziness about the 
habitation which attracted me. Everybody begged, but 
artistically. Englishmen had never visited them before, 
and they wondered of what stuff such were made. 
Though intensely keen about their own language, all 
condescended to speak Hungarian. They had their 
eye continually on the main chance. It was some- 
thing for something before I could leave. Yet, such 
as they were, they were undesirables. It is a happy 
trait of theirs which leads them to drift away from 
ordinary citizens. In Hungary they have been par- 
ticularly well treated. The late Archduke Joseph 
made a complete study of them, and spent much of 
his life in attempting to civilise them. Legislation 
invested them with freedom, and for a considerable 
time this was not seriously abused. Some strange 
spell seems to have overtaken them last year, and a 
series of terrible dramas were enacted by them, inso- 
much that new legislation was necessary. The truth 
was they had been neglected. And whilst the theft 
of an occasional horse was no vitally serious matter, 
the " laying on of hands " and murder had to be 
immediately and strenuously checked. The Danos 
tragedy in 1907 awakened people to their existence, 
and once pubHc opinion is roused other phases of 
harm are usually recognised. Stealing and the 
kidnapping of children is a common pastime of the 
Hungarian czigdnyok. This had to be restricted. It 



2o6 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

is known also that in certain branches of espionage 
they are adepts. More attention. Petty larceny has 
developed into a habit. But the outrage referred to 
called attention to other undesirable methods of life 
and action. Their disregard of all the rules of sanita- 
tion, their evasion of the laws of compulsory education, 
vaccination, etc., led not merely Hungary but the whole 
of Europe to reconsider its position regarding them. 
I am of the opinion that these types of vagabondage 
are not only irreclaimable but irredeemable. All this 
does not rob them of one whit of their fascination, nor 
does it imply that all deserve such a serious charge. 

It appears that Sigismund gave them permission to 
settle in Hungary about 1423, and a Hungarian law 
describes them as " new peasants." The law's usual 
ambiguity is obvious. Joseph II. attempted to turn 
their invasion to advantage by introducing helpful 
legislation. But it is rumoured that the only Govern- 
ment to obtain any advantage from its gipsies was the 
Austrian, Few indeed of this wandering army are 
satisfied with any of the ordinary vocations of man. 
True, some are found working in iron and wood, and 
others are skilful brickmakers ; but these are a hope- 
less minority. One of the things that Joseph II. tried 
to do was to force them from nomadic pursuits into 
the settled vocation of agriculture, by means of special 
laws. Landlords were forced to make them small 
grants of land, and also they were allowed to build 
houses at the extreme end of villages. All these 
plans were futile. In 1782, some forty-five of these 
nomads were beheaded, quartered, or hanged, on a 
charge of cannibalism. First they were racked until 
they confessed to the crime of murder, then they 
were brought to the spot where their victims were said 



THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 207 

to be buried, and when no bodies appeared they were 
racked again. " We ate them," was their despairing 
cry, and forthwith the journals teemed with accounts 
of " eighty-five persons roasted by gipsy cannibals," 
and straightway the " cannibals " were hurried to the 
scaffold. The whole incident was so unsatisfactory 
that Joseph II. sent a Commission down, whose inquiries 
showed that no one had been murdered save the 
victims of the false accusation. This reveals another 
picture not to be forgotten. I have met four distinct 
groups of gipsies in Hungary of the nomad order. In 
each case the type varies even down to the dwelling, 
save in the one particular — dirt. In the Tatra one of 
the tribes was in a measure quite industrious. Their 
hovels were more habitable, and they came into closer 
contact with their neighbours than any other tribe I met 
in Hungary. The women-folk were tidier. And out 
of a group of nineteen assorted gipsies, only one seemed 
to have a tendency to emulate Adam's Edenic garb. 
They none of them seemed to hanker after " the real 
vagabond life of joy." The houses or huts they 
occupied were built entirely of wood, careless and clumsy 
of design it is true, and not rain-proof, but they were an 
improvement upon many I saw. Perhaps it was that, 
settled as they were amid poor conditions, with few 
chances of begging and fewer of stealing, old habits 
and practices, sheerly from disuse, slipped from them, 
leaving only their language, their brown skin and their 
unmistakable features, to remind them of their race. 
The same piercing dark eye, the curly black hair, 
the olive complexion, and the small active form, was 
present in every tribe. 

In Transylvania I met another branch of this 
mendicant family. Most of the men wore short 



208 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

bristly beards, and hats of a rigid uniformity, with 
brims that always shaded the top part of their faces. 
They lived in curious tents formed of poles and canvas. 
Whenever I visited them they betrayed their Eastern 
descent by squatting as the Easterns do. There was 
a curious other-worldly shape about their trousers, and 
they wore a smock-shaped coat, which reminded one 
of a tired Norfolk-jacket. But they were dirty, and 
the place was simply alive with vermin of the teasing 
order. A patient ass interested me very much, it was 
laden as camels are wont to be. A heavy rug covered 
its ungroomed hide, to which was fastened on either 
side a pole. To these poles were added heavy 
mattresses, until an easy-chair kind of saddle was 
formed, on which hung three hatless, clothesless 
urchins. Added to this human freight was a huge 
water pail, which did not enhance the balance of the 
speechless beast. How these managed to live I could 
never discover. Yet there always seemed an " eternal 
wantlessness " about them. A third company of 
vagrants I met near Pecs. As I approached only the 
women-folk were visible. But soon men appeared, and 
in an unmannerly way appropriated the front ranks of 
the crowd. Apparently this type always selects a back- 
ground for their habitation. Here was a thinned-out, 
hungry-looking little plantation, with a few frightened 
green leaves at the top of the trees. The hovels were 
formed of sticks, clay, and mud. Cooking for the most 
part was done outside, and the one street of the gipsy 
town was bestrewn with culinary utensils. The women 
smoked native pipes, and one man, the most industrious 
of his class, was engaged in making wooden spoons and 
shaping out wooden wash-bowls. Beside him a young 
man lazily droned some native unfamiliar dirge, whilst 




NIGHT IN A GYPSY CAMP 



THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 209 

a third unevenly accompanied him with a violin from 
which an important string was missing. It was after- 
noon, and a laziness crept over all, I fear it was con- 
tagious. The savage indecency of the children and 
the accumulated filth never for a second destroyed the 
harmony of the picture. Snakelike as were many of 
the movements of the men, there was nothing to fear, 
nothing to distrust, and a huge struggle went on within 
me between my sanitary self and my artistic self. The 
latter won. As a picture it was perfect. As a con- 
dition of life, impossible. 

Usually the arrival of a stranger is heralded by a 
carnival of noise — barking dogs, squealing children, 
and the moaning of the aged. In the art of begging 
they are very proficient, and as witty as the Irish. On 
one occasion a large crowd of these " interesting 
impossibles " presented themselves before a certain 

Countess W , whom they used to call the mother 

of gipsies, from her frequent charities to them, with a 
piteous complaint of cold and hunger. The chief, who 
acted as spokesman for all, pulling a wry face, begged 
hard for relief, " for he was a very poor man, and it 
cost him a great deal to clothe so large a family." 
Humour steals out in every note of this appeal. They 
will beg from you a score times a day. I detected a 
profound respect for the aristocracy amongst them, and 
they are said to be the best genealogists in the country. 
Neither must it be forgotten that they make excellent 
blacksmiths. But for ignorance in its unadulterated 
form they have no equals. They are ignorant of the 
simplest moral laws, and you may often find them 
performing tasks which the poorest peasant would not 
bemean himself by doing. None of them are bothered 
by the question of furniture, the hire-system does not 
14 



210 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

exist for them. A Hungarian servant who had travelled 
with his master in Turkey, said on passing a camp of 
czigdnyok, on his return, " After all, sir, our negroes are 
not so ugly as those in Turkey." 

Many of the women are surpassingly beautiful. I 
remember seeing one, a young girl, sitting by a dry 
ditch at Zsibo, monopolising all the sun she could. 
Her features were perfect, and her grace of movement 
superb. We with our Western notion of things, with 
our prejudices, and particularly we English with our 
insular pride, look down often upon such human trifles 
as these as fit only for isolation. Emerson was not 
far wrong when he sang the song of the " Romany 
Girl," and makes her disclose the gifts an unerring 
Providence had provided her with — 

" Go, keep your cheek's rose from the rain, 
For teeth and hair with shopmen deal ; 
My swarthy tint is in the grain, 
The rocks and forest know it real. 

The wild air bloweth in our lungs, 
The keen stars twinkle in our eyes, 
The birds gave us our wily tongues, 
The panther in our dances flies. 

You doubt we read the stars on high, 
Nathless we read your fortunes true ; 
The stars may hide in the upper sky. 
But without glass we fathom you." 

This is the song of the gipsy. The art of fortune- 
telling has not yet been given up by the Hungarian 
gipsies for crystal-gazing. On one occasion the late 
Archduke Joseph, when visiting the gipsies on his 
mission of reform, asked several women to tell him 
his fortune. When, however, he addressed them in 
their own language, they refused to proceed, and on 



THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 211 

being asked the reason, declared they would not 
" cheat one of their own." Asked by the Archduke 
whether they sincerely believed in fortune-telling, the 
women laughingly replied, " No, that is good enough for 
the non-gipsies." On another occasion the Archduke 
was really warned by a gipsy. It was just before the 
battle of Sadowa, in 1866, and he was sleeping in a 
peasant's cottage, when in the middle of the night he 
was awakened by a gipsy. On the man being brought 
to the bedside of the Archduke, he burst out into rapid 
Romany, declaring that the enemy were approaching 
with the intention of surprising the Austrians. 

" The outposts have not heard anything suspicious," 
the Archduke remarked. 

" No," replied the Zingari, " because the enemy is still 
a long way off." 

" How do you know this ? " 

" Come to the window," exclaimed the gipsy, leading 
the Archduke forward to the narrow opening in the 
rough wall and directing his gaze to the dark sky 
illumined by the silver rays of the moon. " You see 
those birds flying over the wood toward the south ? " 

" Yes," replied the Archduke, " I see them. What 
of it?" 

" What of it ? " retorted the gipsy. " Do not birds 
sleep as well as men ? They would certainly not fly 
about at night-time thus had they not been disturbed. 
The enemy is marching through the woods southward, 
and has frightened and driven the birds before it." 

Immediately orders were given for the outposts to be 
doubled, and the entire camp to be awakened. In less 
than two hours after the visit of the gipsy fierce fight- 
ing was indulged in, and the greatest friend the gipsies 
ever had was able to realise that his camp and division. 



212 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

together with his military prestige, were all saved by the 
sagacity of a gipsy. Gipsies and their life became 
almost a mania with the late Archduke Joseph. He 
did his utmost to induce them to settle down and 
devote their energies and skill to the art of metal- 
working which he discovered they possessed. Near 
Pozsony a number of villages were laid out, and gipsy 
settlements organised. But the scheme was a failure. 
The gipsies abandoned the comfortable cottages and 
the flower-stocked gardens and the rich fields, and 
simply refused to do anything seriously. Old habits 
had too much power over them, and poaching and 
stealing was in the blood. To the old life and haunts 
they went, and disappointed the most generous heart 
that ever beat for them. 

The whole history of the Hungarian gipsies is so 
bound up with the life of the Archduke, that I do not 
hesitate to continually refer to him. So keen was he 
about them that he learnt their language perfectly, 
together with several of the dialects. He then pro- 
ceeded to compile a czigdny dictionary and grammar, 
which stands unequalled in the world. It was their 
music which first attracted him. Herein lies the chief 
value of these " mysterious pariahs " to Hungary and 
to the world. Their music ? It is quite true, it is 
their very own unschooled music. In their own way 
they are the chief contributors to Hungarian music. 
Hungary is the home of the born musician. Even 
prosaic Englishmen have journeyed to hear a " Blue 
Hungarian band," and, having listened, departed, 
imagining that the name conveyed the truth. 
There's nothing in such a name. Substitute the 
term " Bohemian " for " Hungarian " and you arrive 
at the truth. Hungarians are not starters in England. 



Ii» ."^^ 




STREET SCENE EN POZSONY EEADING TO THE OLD CASTLE 



THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 213 

In Vienna, Belgrad, Bucarest, Sofia, if you like, but not 
England. To these gipsy musicians, Liszt, one of 
the greatest musical products of Hungary, in 1859 
ascribed the creation of Hungary's national music. 
To keep in tune with Hungarian musical critics the 
emphasis must be placed on the term " national," 

In the days now beyond recall the minstrels sang 
the heroic deeds of the fallen champions. There was 
also a " Dance of Death " which was always danced 
at the close of the funeral banquet. This, however, 
was 160 years ago. Times and tunes were different 
then. There was something of the Irish wake about 
these festive gatherings. The Magyar finds much of 
his happiness in sorrow. At the old-time burials the 
Cantor took leave of the dead in a mournful song. 
But at eventide his joy was wingless. As one feels a 
certain measure of paganism about some of the music 
to-day, this old Hungarian dance was probably a relic 
or remnant of some heathen funeral rite. One feels 
its past. It is a calling to the unknown, and only 
partially understood by Western souls. One of the 
most distinguished gipsy musicians of the eighteenth 
century composed a " Dance of Death " melody. Who 
has heard of, or remembers Czinka Panna? These 
old-time minstrels were wonderful fellows. Long 
before gipsy Czinka Panna lived, a king in kingly 
script wrote : " As to their wars and heroic deeds, 
if you pay no credence to my letter, at least believe 
the prattling songs of the minstrels, and the well-worn 
legends of the people, who have not allowed the heroic 
deeds of the Hungarians up till now to fall into 
oblivion." All these songs and legends have been 
worked into unmistakable music by the gipsy 
musicians of Hungary. In the fourteenth century 



2 14 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

the most conspicuous executants of Hungarian 
dance-music were the wandering gipsies. Then as 
now they were patronised by the people, willingly 
entertained at the Court of the Magnates. Not only 
were they in demand for festivities, but sometimes they 
were found at the sessions of Parliament, and history 
attests their presence at the noisy assemblies of Rakos 
and Hatvan in 1525. Dominik Karman was a most 
conspicuous figure as a lutist and violinist. There 
was also Michael Barna. Johann Bihary followed in 
the wake of these distinguished executants. He and 
his entire band were invited more than once to the 
Court balls at Vienna. So popular was he, that he 
gave concerts throughout Hungary, Transylvania, 
Poland, and Austria. On one occasion the great 
and incomparable Beethoven was present when 
Bihary and his band were giving a concert, and was 
much taken by a slow Hungarian melody of Bihary 's, 
so much so, that in his overture dedicated to King 
Stephen, the master musician incorporated the melody. 
This was a token of genuine appreciation. The gipsy 
musicians also did much to spread and make known 
Hungarian music. Liszt says : " There is no other 
music from which European musicians can learn so 
much rhythmic originality as the Hungarians'." During 
the forties of the nineteenth century the Csdrdds (pro- 
nounced chardahsk), or Tavern Dance, arose. It is a 
real native dance, a dance of temperament. It is 
terrible in its might, entrancing in its subtlety, in- 
toxicating and cosmopolitan. In the middle of it 
you sigh for the cool mountain air, and pine for the 
blessed silence of the trees ; yet avoid it you cannot. 
The music steals over the senses and awakens memories 
of a past, bitter or sweet ; it is so infectious and so 



THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 215 

reminiscent, that though it may pain you you are 
enchained by it. You ask yourself what it is like, of 
what does it remind you, but in your feebleness you 
are lost for ideas and words. You roll, you race, you 
swing, you are giddy, you fall. The bows of the 
performers chase the notes weirdly over the strings 
of their instruments, they tremble and fall in confusion, 
only to start again yet even faster. There is a pause i 
The scene is changed, though the partner remains 
the same. The movement is rhythmically measured, 
cautiously slow. I call it the thoughtful movement. 
But ere thought has been restored the final scamper 
begins, and amid the utmost confusion the Csdrdds 
ends amid a terrific crescendo. We English have not 
the physical capacity, nor the essential temperament 
for such a dance. Yes, it is a dance of temperament. 
It is a story on strings that impels both peasant and 
proprietor. You may detect the silencing of the voice 
of sorrow, the removal of mental discomfort, as with 
eyes aflame and mind alert the dancers whirl their 
partners round, gathering fresh inspiration as the story 
develops in the mind of the leader of the band. 
Patriotism is traced in every note, and with national 
temperament awakened all things become possible. 
The voice of national hope cries out that the Magyars 
are allies, and not a vanquished people ; and it is a voice 
continually heeded from one end of Hungary to the 
other. Even listening to the band will awaken all 
these feelings. It is a species of musical hypnotism. 
It is a microbe one swallows. Brahms has based all 
his gipsy songs on Hungarian melodies, and whilst 
he enters thoroughly into the spirit of the national 
music, he does so without sinking his nationality. 
He owed much to his association with Remenyi. 



2i6 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

This violinist introduced to Brahms the real gipsy 
music, which later he presented in a form attractive 
to musicians, both amateur and professional, of all 
nations. The romantic side of his nature was deeply- 
imbued with the Hungarian spirit. And a modern 
critic has said that " the style and musical idiom of 
Hungarian national melodies constantly appear in 
his works in classical form." But those with any 
knowledge of gipsy music will immediately detect 
the difference between Brahms and the gipsy. 

Returning to the Csdrdds, one must see the peasants 
dance this. It is a curious dance, for the men only 
seem to use the legs from the knees downwards, the 
rest of the body being upright and rigid. They place 
their hands lightly upon the shoulders of the women, 
who in turn rest their hands upon the shoulders of 
the men. The women only appear to dance with the 
shoulders. But in their costumes they are a canvas 
The men wear tight-fitting attilas, which is a sort of 
vest, with an embroidered dolman hanging from the 
left shoulder, and whilst dancing they delight in 
clattering the spurs attached to their top-boots. In 
their embroidered corsets and short petticoats and 
top-boots the women look very gay. But these 
gipsies they are wonders. In quality their bands 
vary considerably. It is largely a question of con- 
ductor. Every coffee-house in Budapest has its famous 
conductor. Berkes, Radics, Rdcz, and Farkas. 
These are names to be remembered. The band at 
the New York Hotel, Kolozsvdr, is the best I heard 
in Hungary. An amusing story of this band was 
told me the last time I visited Kolozsvar. All these 
bands are allowed even in the best hotels to go and 
collect from the guests present. Sometimes the 



THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 217 

conductor himself deigns to go round. Or the second- 
fiddle, being easily spared, collects the coins which you 
place upon a plate, which on his return is emptied 
into some large receptacle for the sharing-time. In 
order to prevent any petty pilfering during his 
perambulations, the gipsy is presented with a live fly, 
which he must return alive in the same hand to the 
conductor when he has fi:nished his round. Not an 
easy task. The alertness and cleverness of these 
musicians was demonstrated one day to the waltz- 
king, Strauss. He was practising a new composition, 
which was still in MSS., with his famous orchestra, 
when a gipsy leader happened to be present at the 
rehearsal. Apparently unconcerned, the man took in 
everything, and that very evening, when Strauss was 
sitting with some friends at one of the famous Viennese 
restaurants, to his surprise he heard his new creation 
played to perfection by this gipsy band. It was a 
perfect marvel to him, and revealed the amazing power 
of rapid absorption these men possess. I remember 
being asked to sing — for some reason or other — away 
in the north of Hungary, and having no music with 
me, and wishful to oblige, I just hummed the air of 
" Father O'Flynn " to the gipsy leader, and in less 
than five minutes we had the whole thing going at 
fine speed. If one must find fault, it is that they 
play too loud. It sometimes annoys both the musical 
and the unmusical soul. But the Hungarians love 
noise, and it is only we foreigners who complain. A 
young Frenchman who was visiting me found it a 
constant source of amusement. On the other hand, 
I know scores who shun any place with gipsy music. 
The chief complaint is its monotony. Personally it is 
the little that I enjoy. One friend described the 



2i8 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

music as a continued intoning of the national anthem. 
He was nearer the truth than he imagined. 

If there is but one attentive soul in the room, the 
gipsy can play. Seated in the company perhaps is 
a friendly soul from some distant village or town, and 
in the words of Vorosmarty he says — • 

' ' Come, gipsy, play : thou hadst thy pay in drinks, 
Let not the grass grow under thee, strike up ! 

On bread and water who will bear life's ills ? 
With flowing wine fill high the parting cup. 

This mundane life remains for aye the same, 

It freezeth now, then burneth as a flame ; 

Strike up ! How long thou yet wilt play who knows ? 

Thy bow-strings soon will wear out, I suppose. 

With wine and gloom are filled the cup and heart, 

Come, gipsy, play, let all thy cares depart. 

Strike up ! But no — now leave the chords alone ; 

When once again the world may have a feast. 
And silent have become the storm's deep groans, 

And wars and strifes o'er all the world have ceased, 
Then play inspiringly ; and, at the voice 
Of thy sweet strings, the gods may e'en rejoice ! 
Then take again in hand the songful bow, 
Then may thy brow again with gladness glow. 
And with the wine of joy fill up thy heart ; 
Then, gipsy, play, and all thy cares depart." 

As a chaser of gloom and an evangel to sad men 
the gipsy is unequalled. The appealing notes of his 
violin strike deeply and exceeding sure. Pie has a 
song for every mood, a balm for every ill. The 
genuine gipsy is incomparable. Sitting one evening 
with Kubelik at supper at the Hotel Hungaria, 
Budapest, I was anxious to note the effect the gipsy 
music would have upon him. Something seemed to 
speak to his great musical soul when they played their 
national music, but when they emerged into inter- 
nationalism or penetrated the classics the eye lost its 



THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 219 

glow, and conversation was possible. As he told me 
afterwards, when they play their own music they are 
wonderful, but when they do not they are impossible. 
There's an illusion I should like to dissipate, that is 
concerning the knowledge of music possessed by a 
czigdny. It is not true to say the real czigdny does 
not know a note of music. If you say he does not 
need it, that is another question. But a few evenings 
before I wrote this chapter I was seated with a friend 
in one of the largest coffee-houses in Budapest. 
Whilst there a young friend arrived with full band 
parts of a new march, and I saw them handed out to 
the band, and heard them play it all over to a crowded 
house. This in itself was a wonderful performance, 
but with notes. The amount of money that these 
men make sometimes is enormous. I remember a 
middle-aged Greek taking some of his relatives to a 
coffee-house after supper, and so great was the effect 
of the music upon him that he gave the conductor a 
looo-crown note. It has never been my personal 
ambition to give much to these dark-skinned musicians, 
but I have seen hundreds of crowns pass hands. One 
evening in a gay haunt a crowd of irresponsible 
nobility were amusing themselves. The central figure 
of the group was an old, noble-looking veteran, to 
whom all the variations of gipsy music were familiar. 
When jollity had passed the frontier lines, and man 
had entered that strange land where thought and fear 
are unknown, I noticed the old man draw from his 
pocket a lOOO-crown note, gaze at it a moment, not 
at all thoughtfully, then deliberately tear it in halves, 
and hand one-half to the czigdny primds. To me it 
appeared a wild freak and absolutely devoid of 
generosity. The psychology of the act I could not 



2 20 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

arrive at. Waiting thus a moment, pondering over 
things, I saw the old man moisten the remaining 
half with his mouth, then plaster it upon his forehead. 
Hypnotism or madness, which ? Mine was a Western 
soul with no Eastern culture about it, and I understood 
it not. So I waited until the bitter end. Steadily 
the primds advanced towards the group. There was 
something of the panther's stealth in that movement. 
His eyes were aflame, his body swayed, and a spell 
had also fallen upon the band. It was great, and I 
too began to feel the atmosphere created by the man 
and his music. Then the group he played to swayed 
like a cornfield in full ear before the summer wind. 
Passion, patriotism, and power, all of them almost 
Satanic. Then I realised dimly the truth of the stories 
I had heard of men giving up everything they 
possessed to gipsies. Native power. Love, pain, 
rapture, every nerve set tingling. The primds now 
played into the old man's ear. Now beseeching and 
entreating, now gay and intoxicating, halting a 
moment to find some deep responsive chord, then 
lingering and trembling until it dies out with a sweet 
plaintive sigh. The tears begin to fall, music and wine 
have conquered. It is a new man, alive, alert, 
enthusiastic ; past defeats, sorrows, aches, are all 
forgotten, he sees and feels but the bright promise of 
to-morrow, having been led through the dark valley 
of humiliation and tears by the gipsy. Herein lies 
their greatness. A moment later the remaining half 
of the note rests quietly in the gipsy's palm. To hear 
them play the latest comic opera score is nothing, 
but to hear them play the hillside minstrel songs is 
to obtain a glimpse of national character otherwise 
obscured by modern conventionality. When nothing 



THE GIPSIES AND THEIR MUSIC 221 

is stirring in the political firmament, and the stars 
move orderly in their courses, these men play much 
that is international, but the moment a grave crisis 
looms and national feeling rises, then the gipsy, like 
the allegorical poets of old, appeals to the heart of 
the nation with a series of pictures pregnant with 
power. National spirit can never die when such as 
this is possible. It is small wonder that the Countess 
Festitics married Nyari Rudi, the primds. She is 
Hungarian, and he is a master amongst gipsies. 

"And when he played, the atmosphere 
Was filled with magic, and the ear 
Caught echoes of that Harp of Gold, 
Whose music had so weird a sound. 
The hunted stag forgot to bound, 
The leaping rivulet backward rolled, 
The birds came down from bush and tree, 
The dead came from beneath the sea, 
The maiden to the harper's knee." 

Thus sang Longfellow. 



CHAPTER XIII 

CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS 

"If I granted your demands, I should be no more than the mere 
phantom of a king." — Charles I 

NATION within a nation," such was the de- 
finition provided me by one of the most fas- 
cinating publicists of his native Croatia. To imagine, 
as I fear I did at first, that Croatia was but the name 
given to a group of counties forming the political area 
labelled " Croatia-Slavonia," is as bad as denominating 
Hungary a mere province of Austria. On all sides in 
Croatia you see the impress of race. I had anticipated 
but a shading off into something a little greyer than 
the Magyars, but instead of that I found a distinct and 
distinguishable type. There were men in this south- 
western corner of the map, with thin, worn faces, tall 
spare men, men with serious faces, and consumptive- 
looking men. Yet in these I found the evidences of 
nationality, the trade-mark of race-toughness. Two 
elements for centuries have kept alive this type, the 
struggle against both nature and man. Here one is 
confronted with a Slav nation, ancient and proud. 
Prior to 1090 it was not only an independent but a 
very powerful State. I have selected the heading of 
this chapter in the same way that I selected the title 
of the book, but I am aware that the political area 



CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS 223 

covered by it should be, and indeed is, " Croatia — 
Slavonia — and Dalmatia," as in the book it is 
" Hungary and the Hungarians." In the one the 
Croatians are the dominant race, and in the other 
the Hungarians. The area covered by Croatia-Slavonia 
is 16,420 square miles, with a population of 2,416,304 
in 1 90 1. The giant struggle against man is revealed 
alone to the student of history. When the Romans, 
Avars, Ostrogoths, had all come and gone, these patient 
fighting souls in this out-of-the-way corner advisedly 
made peace with the Prankish kings and Byzantine 
emperors, and in 640 A.D. one reads of an independent 
kingdom being found here formed of Croatia, Slavonia, 
and Dalmatia. When the Magyars came to Hungary 
the poor Croatians found another warlike race to 
contend with, hence they were then harassed on one 
hand by the Magyars, and on the other by the 
Byzantines, during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. 
Neither did the rivalries of Hungary and Venice during 
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries leave them un- 
scathed. And in the sixteenth century they fell into 
the hands of the Turks. Fortunately, after two years' 
rule, and after the battle of Mohacs, they gave up 
Croatia to Austria, and in 1699 surrendered their 
title to the entire territory. Naturally this visitation 
of the Turks left its impress upon national character. 
From 1769 till 1799 these three little kingdoms of 
Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia formed a union and 
called themselves Illyria. After this, following the 
smash-up of the Napoleonic empire, Croatia-Slavonia 
became a dependency of Hungary. Thus may the 
fluctuations of Croatia-Slavonia be traced right down 
to the Revolution of 1848. Refusing to join the 
Magyars in their struggle for freedom, and hoping by 



224 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

such refusal to obtain their own, the Croatians assisted 
Austria, and thus cemented a hatred which time and 
legislation might have dispersed. I use the term 
" might " advisedly. After the " war of independence " 
a large measure of freedom was secured to Croatia- 
Slavonia, as a result of their aid to Austria, but when 
the " Ausgleich " was passed, then it gravitated again in 
the direction of Hungary, and seems likely, in spite of 
the continued political strife at Zagrab, to remain there. 
Enemies of Hungary, under the guise of defenders of 
small nationalities, constantly assail the Magyars for 
the hypothetical restrictive legislation which emanates 
from Budapest. Faults on both sides are magnified, 
the constitutional position is misinterpreted, and an 
opportunity afforded to political disturbers from with- 
out to utilise the ever present elements of discontent 
within. No important country is without such elements. 
Ireland can obstruct as effectively as ever the Croatians 
have done. Nonconformity in England can hinder 
legislation and contest the putting into action of 
detrimental measures just as strenuously as the 
Croatians have done. In the one country it is under- 
stood, accepted as a piece of religious fanaticism or 
party politics. In the other it is misunderstood both 
from within and without. Opponents of the Magyars 
maintain that the opposition and obstruction of the 
Croatians in the Budapest Chamber arise from the 
habitual tendency of the Hungarians to oppress all 
nationalities under their rule. Friends of the Croatians 
affirm it is but a legitimate method not of demonstrat- 
ing power, but of drawing attention to what they 
consider as evils. It is the old parliamentary position. 
Some freak of chance has invested a special party with 
special power, it may be oratory, language, or numbers ; 



CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS 225 

but when an occasion arises the strong right hand is 
used. Such is the Croatian position. The political 
relationship of Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia is 
interesting. Whilst this triple designation is correct, 
Dalmatia is now only de jzcre attached to Hungary 
and de facto is united to Austria. What then comprises 
the area over which both Croatia and Hungary exercise 
control ? After the battle of Mohdcs, old Croatia, 
which was the district lying between the Kulpa and 
the Upper Verbasz, came for. the greater part under 
the dominion of the Turks, and the name of Croatia — 
since the territory corresponding to it existed no longer 
— was eventually applied to old Slavonia, while the 
name Slavonia spread gradually over that district of 
Hungary which consisted of the counties of Szerem, 
Pozsega, and Verocze. Old Slavonia was simply that 
strip of Hungarian territory which embraced a part 
of modern Croatia and the northern part of Bosnia. 
From the time of the conquest right down to the 
eighteenth century this district had known no special 
autonomy, but in fact formed a component part of 
Hungary. It was Wladislaus II. who first gave 
Slavonia the title of a kingdom. After Mohacs, then, 
strangely enough the name Croatia was utilised. This 
was in a measure unconstitutional. This change of 
name, deficient in all legal justification and diametri- 
cally opposed to the Hungarian Constitution, was from 
opportunist motives fully sanctioned by Act 30 of 
1868, sections 15 and 66. Therefore, on the basis 
of the so-called Croatian Compromise, Croatia-Slavonia 
possessed the following boundaries : Zala, Somogy, 
Baranya, and Bacs-Bodrog counties on the north ; on 
the east, the county of Torontal ; on the south, Servia, 
Bosnia, and Dalmatia ; and on the west, the Adriatic, 
15 



226 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Fiume, Krain, and Styria. But the territorial division 
was not finally fixed until 1886, when by an auto- 
nomous law Croatia contained eight county and two 
town municipalities. 

Croatia-Slavonia, then, enjoys autonomy in internal 
affairs, religion and education, and justice. At the 
head of the Government in Zdgrab is a Ban, or governor, 
who is appointed by the King of Hungary, on the 
advice of the Hungarian Premier, and who is responsible 
to the territorial assembly of the province. In the 
Ministry of the Interior autonomous executive juris- 
diction is allowed, but not legislation in commercial 
and exchange and mining matters. In navigation, 
river regulation, forestry supervision, copyright granting, 
patent issuing, and trade-mark and sample protection, 
Hungary has reserved to herself for the whole State, 
including Croatia-Slavonia and Fiume, the right of 
both executive jurisdiction and legislation. Compensa- 
tion for the foregoing restrictions is received by 
Croatia-Slavonia through the existence of (i) a Croatian 
Ministry in the Budapest Cabinet, for codification of 
laws, transmission and authentication of documents, 
and exercise of influence in Hungarian and Croatian 
joint legislation, and (2) Croatian sections or bureaus 
in the Hungarian ministries of finance, home defence, 
commerce, and agriculture, for the exercise of executive 
jurisdiction over Croatia-Slavonia in those branches. 
Their coat of arms is not the same as Hungary, and 
they have their own flag, which must be hoisted along 
with the Hungarian flag. The coinage is uniform with 
Hungary. Croatian representation at Budapest is 
forty members to the Commons and three to the House 
of Magnates. In the Delegation appointed for the 
settlement of the business common to Hungary and 



CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS 227 

Austria, the Croatians have six representatives, — two 
from the Magnates and four from the Commons, — and 
here also they may use their own language. Such is 
a sketch of the juridical position these Slavs occupy. 

In Croatia one feels immediately the atmosphere of 
dispute. This is more or less true of all Slav 
nationalities to-day, but particularly of Croatia. There 
is not only the tag end of the old-time dispute between 
the Eastern and Western Churches left, but the air 
is full of the discord of contending political factions. 
Forces are ever moving to the attack or defence. 
Its language is Slav but not with those bewildering 
Cyrillic characters which a friend of mine described 
as tripthongs. One may see the unrest written upon 
the faces of all men. They seem always spoiling 
for a fight. Regarding their language, they hold as 
tenaciously to it as the Magyars nurse theirs, or a 
Sinn Feiner fondles Gaelic. All this displays the 
characteristics of race. When the Magyars attempted 
to introduce Hungarian as the language of official rail- 
way intercourse, the backs of these stout henchmen 
were stiffened, and they said " no, we'll fight you, but 
not speak your language." Many of them must and 
can speak both languages. It is always a shortsighted 
policy to attempt to induce a Slav to change or 
relegate his language. In the minds of all there 
exists an idea of the Great Slav Nation. This idea 
is the guardian of their language often. M. Bodenstedt, 
when writing to the Allgemeine Zeitung in 1848, said 
" that the patriotism of the Slavonians is not attached 
to the soil, but they are kept together by one great 
and powerful bond, by the bond of their language, 
which is as pliant and supple as the nations who 
speak it." Attachment to their nationality is a 



2 28 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

distinctive trait of the character of the educated 
Slav. 

With such an electric atmosphere as Zdgrab pro- 
duces, one may always be assured of political sensations. 
Disturbance is not always a peace-destroyer, but it is 
a depopulator. Again let me go into ecstasies over 
the peasantry. A modern writer has termed with 
undeniable truth the Croatian peasant, " attractive, 
unspoilt, and ingenuous." But his ignorance, thanks 
again to the Church, is appalling. To invest such as 
I met with the weapon of universal suffrage is but 
to play into the hands of unscrupulous political priests 
and laymen. The times, however, are moving in this 
direction. The Croatian is tough. Things for a long 
time have not gone well with him. There is little to 
keep the Croatian in his native land. In 1906 some 
43,311 of them found their way to other lands. 
Depopulation similar to that in Ireland is going 
on here, and America is the El Dorado they seek. 
The sterile Karst, and the rugged Krbava country, 
have driven thousands away. But one fears that it 
is not always soil difficulty which accounts for the 
big emigration. Poverty alone seldom causes people 
to migrate. A people will starve in peace at home, 
but it will not starve in trouble at home. Political 
disturbance is a disintegrating factor. The Slavs 
of South-Eastern Europe have always been poor. 
These poor Croatians have been the frontiersmen 
of Europe. One of them said to me, " We gave 
civilisation a chance in the West." All along the 
Turkish-Austrian frontier the Magyar Government 
settled and organised people. There was a militarism 
about the scheme. Uniforms and weapons were 
provided, and a man had to serve from his eighteenth 




V "*-. 1 



CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS 229 

to his sixtieth year. One village would perhaps form 
a company, three or four villages a battalion, and a 
number or group of villages would make up the 
complement of a regiment. Men worked with their 
guns beside them then. The advent of Hungarian 
supremacy changed much of this. I am afraid that 
these old methods did more to promote militarism 
than agriculture. 

One of the chief features of Croatian life is the zadruga, 
or co-operative community. One of these communal 
families will number as many as 200 people. It was 
customary to place the eldest man at the head of the 
community, whilst his wife — for they usually had 
one — superintended the labours of the women-folk. 
Almost the same line is taken to-day. There is 
something so very primitive about these institutions. 
A common purpose, a common toil, and a common 
sharing is the practice of all such communal gatherings. 
At one time there was a self-sufficiency about the 
community, for they produced all they needed. 
Women busied themselves spinning flax, and making 
the thick outer garments that were necessary. Then 
men hunted, and from the skins of the captured 
animals caps and overcoats were made, whilst the 
hides of the domestic animals provided sandals. Men 
built the houses and tilled the field, and thus by all 
working want was unknown. This story of the not 
distant past is the realisation also of the present. 
One who is now busy in a large city in America, 
reflecting on the days spent in the zadruga, in writing 
to a friend said : " Looking back now, these seem to 
me the happiest days of my life, for it was then that 
I learned to play our simple country airs on a pipe 
cut from hazelwood, and it was then that our native 



2 30 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

fairies — the Vile — used to appear before me in the 
full glory of our Croatian spring nights." Contentment 
is bred in the communal groups, but directly both the 
men and the women drift away from them discontent 
begins. A good head will of course keep the men 
from leaving, and the women-folk won't budge without 
them. Such a man must have a good character, and 
ability. Things have been pared down since this idea 
of life was instituted, and one fears that in a few years 
the system will be obsolete. Not far from Zagrab one 
may, however, find a good example of the communal 
system. Here some eighty-five persons still live 
under rules similar at least to those of the old days. 
A large room, with beds arranged with the regularity 
of a hospital ward on either side, and a huge common 
table in the centre where the men meet for meals. In 
another room all the unmarried girls are housed. 
The men are always fed first. There are, it is true, 
in the large yard a few small tenements utilised by 
some of the young married people, but all meet at 
meals. Some critics of the system, that individualistic 
soul that one meets with everywhere, point out the 
supposed weakness of the scheme in that a less urgent 
appeal is made to " energy and initiative." There is 
some truth in this. But the lazy man does not get 
so good a time of it as some may imagine. Character 
tells both ways. I remember seeing one melancholy 
soul who suffered from inertia. He was a pitiable 
creature, for his relatives cut him. His legal share 
was daily earned, but the misery of selfishness was his. 
At first it may have seemed clever, but that day had 
passed, and here he was surrounded by a crowd that 
he knew — but alone. This was the terrible penalty 
his own act had inflicted, and there was no remission 



CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS 231 

of the sentence. It eventually drove him out. 
Where? I know not. In favour of the system 
is the " economy of time, labour, and capital." Life 
being less isolated became more bearable. To show 
the change that has gone on amongst these communal 
families, the inquiry instituted in 1890 declared that 
" nearly a fifth of the population lived in such 
communal families." But quite 80 per cent, of these 
have only ten members. These " hold their pro- 
perty like a corporation," no member being allowed to 
" claim a share or dispose of his rights to another." 
Dissolution of one of these families spells destruction. 
Everything is divided, and sometimes even the boards 
of the dwelling are pulled down and divided equally. 
This is not a common occurrence. Such is the life 
that labour lives in Croatia. 

In all the counties that I visited the Servian 
element was present, perhaps with the single excep- 
tion of Varasd, The Croat-Serb of the north-west is 
of medium stature, and for the most part fair-haired. 
Here the soil is cultivable, and the race was kind and 
sincere. Those dwelling by the sea are short and 
thick-set. But those on the hills are perhaps the 
biggest men. Life is hard here. Much of the Karst 
is rock and stone. An American once said it is about 
as pleasant to try to cultivate as a " piece of bare 
coral." Miss Balch, who made a study of the emigra- 
tion question in Croatia, says : " In many places there 
are depressions in the stony ground into which soil 
washes, and one sees such spots, perhaps fifteen feet 
across, walled around and carefully cultivated. These 
dolinas, as they are called, are characteristic of this 
limestone region (I counted, I think, forty on one 
scrubby hillside), which is also rich in grottos, rivers 



232 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

that sink into the earth or suddenly flow forth from a 
cavern, and other picturesque natural features." The 
Southern Slavs still live the patriarchal life I have 
described. In all parts of Croatia the women age 
early. Amongst these peoples I found a rich store of 
popular poetry, and a strong attachment to ancestral 
customs and national institutions. Hospitable and 
fond of liberty as they are, the jarring note of 
intolerance is often heard. One of my hillside 
memories is that of a visit paid to one of the villages 
I was staying in by a band of guslars, or wandering 
blind fiddlers. What the minstrels did for Hungary, 
these men continue to do for Croatia. We were at 
supper when a group of them appeared on the little 
tired piece of grass which my peasant friends devoted 
much attention to in front of the house. The door 
was thrown open, for it was summer. It was the first 
time that I had heard them. With croaking voices 
they sang in the rich Slav tongue of the heroic deeds 
" wrought in ancient days." There was blood in their 
songs, and one could almost feel the cut of the scimitar 
and see the flowing robes of the Turk. My dear old 
host bowed his head as if in grief, and his kindly wife 
shed tears. Then one may hear the topics of the day 
turned to rude and primitive verse, and all to the 
accompaniment of a strange two-stringed violin. 
Village life even outside of the communal system has 
its charms. There is more thrift in Croatia than in 
Hungary. The activity of the women accounts for 
much of this. Woman is often a rival here, a com- 
petitor in the agricultural market. In looking at some 
figures, I found a Hungarian economist affirming that 
" the proportion of the earning class to the whole 
population is best in Croatia, where it amounts to 



CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS 233 

49 per cent." In most villages there are libraries 
bought by the peasants themselves, and not the gift 
of a Carnegie or Passmore Edwards. Here the 
Russian writers are given a good show. The houses 
these peasants live in are much better than many of 
the houses I saw in Hungary. One of the first 
questions I asked was, Where was the chimney ? 
" We have no chimneys here," answered the little 
Croatian. True, no chimneys, but trap-doors. In 
such as these a stone hearth in the centre of the 
main building indicates where fire may be found 
during the cold winter months. The beds here are 
for the most part different from those in Hungary. 
Often one finds nothing but clean straw, upon which 
highly coloured and weirdly designed home-spun 
blankets are thrown. I can assure all that sleep 
is possible to the tired man on such as these. I 
would exchange my Budapest bed any night for a 
turn on a Croatian " shake-down." What I suffered 
from most was a lack of ventilation. Windows are so 
small in the villages that one might imagine that a 
window-tax was in existence. The women have a 
passion for work. It is born in them. As soon as a 
girl can do anything she begins to provide her marriage 
dowry. This is no mean task. It means a complete 
outfit for bride and bridegroom, from the cap to the 
shoes. This gives the man much more leisure than 
Western mortals get. Therefore, as soon as the child 
is able to hold a pair of knitting needles or a crochet- 
hook, she is set to work. It is the task of a lifetime, 
for a lifetime. A heavy premium is thus placed upon 
poverty. What chance has the poor girl of marriage ? 
None. Even in Croatia customs vary a little. As 
one approaches the sea, the girl provides no dowry, 



2 34 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

but jewellery. In the arrangement of a marriage a 
great family council is summoned. Health and family 
character are the qualities that count, and at such 
councils the man is usually supported by a host of 
responsible sponsors. Such is very rarely disposed of 
at a single sitting, and a period of weeks may elapse 
ere a decision is arrived at. Then one hears the 
mystic happy sound of dobro, and the end has been 
reached. A meeting of the parents, then of the 
representatives of the respective parties, followed by 
the advent of the bridegroom. Now comes the quaint 
part of the ceremony. He hands the girl an apple, 
and she presents him with a handkerchief. Queer 
custom. In much of the Croatian poetry a girl is 
likened to an apple. This seems going a long way 
back for a precedent. The ceremony itself is most 
elaborate, one of the imposing features of which is a 
speech which has been learnt off by one of the men. 
Its length is terrible, for it occupies nearly ten pages 
in a printed volume. Having endured all this, the 
poor girl is now a wife. What will not a woman go 
through for a husband ! 

Economically the condition is not what it should 
be here. The birth rate is said to be the highest in 
the world, yet so great is the infant death rate that 
the net increase to population is even lower than in 
any other country except France. Educationally the 
country is making a distinctly progressive move. 
During the sixteenth century a very high degree of 
culture was exhibited by the Croatian students who 
flocked to the universities of Padua and Pisa. Com- 
pulsory attendance from seven to twelve years of age 
ensures a certain measure of education to-day. And 
special classes are held for those between twelve and 



CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS 235 

fourteen years of age. This, of course, applies more 
particularly to towns or large village communities. 
In some of the districts schooling is practically im- 
possible. For instance, in Lika-Krbava, it is rumoured 
that only one-third of the children go to school, so 
scattered is its population. The tendency throughout 
Croatia is to keep the girls at home. In Zagrab, of 
course, a different state of things exist. It is not only 
a very beautiful but a surprisingly lively city. With 
only half a glance one may see that it wears the 
attitude of a capital. It is imposing rather than 
jaunty. There it stands, about half an hour's distance 
from the foot of the wooded Szlyeme Mountain, with 
its 60,000 inhabitants nestling beside it. Zagrab has 
something of the atmosphere of Paris about it. Life 
centres near the Jella^ic Square. Here stands a large 
bronze equestrian statue of the celebrated Governor. 
The boulevards are strikingly handsome and wide. 
In the art rooms of the South-Slavic Academy quite 
a good collection of pictures is on show. So little 
is known of the talent of these men, that I was sur- 
prised to find such a degree of excellence. Matejko, 
Csermak, and Jaroslav have some paintings there. A 
younger school is always striding along, and soon will 
have to be reckoned with. Public buildings confuse 
one here. The most important historical edifice in 
Zagrab is the Cathedral. There are three naves, 
seventeen pointed arch windows, and some good interior 
decoration. A treasure chamber here discloses — on 
Sundays only — the forefinger of King St. Ladislas, 
with his ruby ring. It was not Sunday when I visited 
Zagrab. One of the features of the old town is the 
roof of St. Mark's Church, in red, white, and blue, 
the national colours of the Croatians. As a rule I 



2 36 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

enjoy the old part of large towns, but this roof 
destroyed my appetite. In Zagrab aristocracy quarters 
itself near a plane-tree walk. Life in all its varied 
activities flourishes in this Croatian capital. Art and 
literature are taking upon themselves new forms of 
expression, drawing less from within and more from 
without. What struck me as the need of the country 
was clever, responsible leaders. Given one honest 
inspiring soul, Croatia, young Croatia, will go far. 
Amongst the awakened souls there is less inclination 
towards inertia, and a clearer conception of Western 
capacity and demands, than I found amongst many 
Hungarians. But though in some respects Zagrab is 
not Croatia, yet it is. The Croatia to be heard of 
in the future is doubtless the Zagrab of to-day. But 
there is another Croatia, sad in its desolation, cold in its 
poverty. It was the contrast of the two that startled me. 
What will be the message of the capital to the country ? 
For without the country there will be no capital. The 
unconcern on this point in Zagrab alarmed me. 
America's growing community of Croatians seemed not 
to weigh with them. Strong, clever workers, with 
nothing to do. Meanwhile politicians fight about 
what language shall be used on the railways. Who 
really cares ? Directly the practical plane is reached, 
Croatia will mend. But that time won't come yet. 

In attempting to escape the conditions imposed upon 
them by the homeland, over forty thousand a year are now 
finding a home in America. It is not skilled labour, 
but whatever the task is that's offered, the Croatian 
will soon become an expert at it. The Croatians have 
a proverb which illustrates their character : " What 
he sees, he makes." Some of them are very expert 
with the axe. It is a common thing to find in the 




MARKET FOLK, NEAR ZAGRAB, CROATIA 



CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS 237 

woods of America Croatians who can hew to the line 
for a distance of sixty feet. Sturdy men like these 
always find an employer. In 1895 they began 
going to America, settling principally in Pennsylvania, 
Illinois, and New York. In New York City 15,000 of 
them were employed to break the dock-labourers' strike 
some years ago, and to-day they have a monopoly of 
the industry. It is interesting to discover that, whilst 
these people knew nothing of trade unions in Croatia, 
and took the places of the Irish dock labourers in New 
York as non-union men, they have since formed the most 
iron-bound trade union in that city, and now dictate terms 
which the older unions would never have thought of ex- 
acting. In Joliet they run a paper which has a circulation 
of 50,000 copies. Apart from wild, rugged scenery, little 
of moving interest is provided the tourist in Croatia. A 
Slav language or a knowledge of German is essential. 
Travelling without these is not dangerous but difficult. 
To the lover of gorgeous costumes and unique 
embroideries Croatia will never be dull. One costume 
a peasant woman wore fascinated me intensely. Her 
head was encircled by a marvellously embroidered 
band nearly three inches deep. At the top one might 
just distinguish the colour of her hair. Then, as if to 
destroy the idea of comic opera which the arrange- 
ment of the band might give, flowers were deftly 
tucked, so that some hung heavily over the side of the 
band, thus giving it the more finished appearance of 
a cap. The usual loose white blouse and shirt, those 
relics of Eastern association, were present, but a curious 
thick woollen mantle was attached to her waist, which 
hung about a foot lower on the left side. Over this was 
placed, so as to be very effective, a single strip of brilliant 
embroidery. A multitude of small beads hung round 



238 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

her neck, and more elaborate embroidery rested from her 
shoulders, forming a kind of sash. The white sleeves 
of the blouse were left perfectly plain and unadorned. 

Another type — perhaps it was her sweet face — 
which caught my attention was a young unmarried 
peasant girl. Her hair was parted in the middle and 
well brushed down, with a scarlet rose resting just at 
the back of her right ear. She wore a light brown, 
thick jacket, simply aching all over with colours, 
and yet so very pretty. Her skirt was white, and for 
the most part covered by a pinkish apron, with an 
open-work front, and a bright yellow embroidered 
fringe. Her rush for colour is already apparent. The 
blouse was of a dark green material, this too em- 
broidered in black. Coloured beads also rested idly 
round this maiden's neck. But her jacket ! It was 
gorgeous. I had seen men on the puszta with 
some such coat, but never one so gay with colour. 
Very little of the original material was visible. A deep 
collar was composed of four embroidered rows of 
colour. There were also shoulder-knots, simple and 
effective. And the back, it was a wall-paper design ; 
whilst the border had no fewer than eleven different 
rows of embroidery and combinations of colour. Even 
the sleeves did not escape her assiduity. Was ever 
Solomon of old arrayed like this ? Or Joseph's coat 
more thrilling? I think not. Once I tried to buy 
such a coat, but providence in some form or other 
intervened. We in our sombre Western hues know 
little of the joy of pigment these poor peasant-folk feel. 

Such is the Croatia that I like to sit and reflect on, 
its gaiety and its sadness, its content and its unrest, 
with the great eating sore of emigration. But the 
hopeful days have not all passed. 



CHAPTER XIV 
CUSTOMS, COSTUMES, AND CHARACTER 

" Qistoms may not be as wise as laws, but they are always more 
popular. " — Disraeli 

HAVE often been plagued by certain well- 
meaning persons into a description of Hungarian 
customs, seen it may be " through a glass darkly." 
Some of these I have grown to appreciate and to 
love, others I do not appreciate. To discover what 
is absolutely Magyar and what only differs in minute 
form from that of a neighbouring State, is a task for 
an explorer or a Royal Commission, and not a writer 
of books. What I here describe are habits and traits 
differing from those of our " sea-girt isle," and as 
such interesting. Hungarian society possesses much 
the same aristocratic flavour as society in England 
does. If one would institute a comparison, the same 
value is placed upon pedigree. But there are 
differences. One of the first things that struck me 
in Hungary is the familiarity enjoyed by all the old / 

men-servants on the baronial estates. They enter c^_ 

into conversation at meals, advance an opinion, laugh 
at an unexpected sally ; such are some of the 
perquisites enjoyed by the family retainer. At first 
it alarmed me. I had been fed on doctrines which 
thundered against the inequality of power and 



240 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

property. Here in my first Hungarian castle was 
power and equality — at least of approach. This is 
not to be interpreted into mere good manners, or 
generosity of feeling ; it is deeper than both, it is in 
the blood, has grown up with the ivied walls and 
been welded in storm and stress. There is a 
mediaeval flavour about it. This is not true of the 
newer families — of the Jewish magnates aping 
Western civilisation in its most hideous forms, 
appropriating the ugly because it merely bears the 
hall-mark of English. The Hungarians are copyists, 
but one must always distinguish between the Magyar 
and the Magyarised Jews, who for a trifle change 
their names. In Hungary one is always hearing this 
question asked, " What was his name before ? " This 
is one of the most modern customs. I don't think 
it would do for Frank Richardson to visit Hungary — 
they might not like him. This is my last word on 
hirsute appendages. What does disconcert me even 
now is to find my neighbour in some cafe drawing 
from his pocket a little looking-glass, then a brush 
and comb, and proceed to put his house in order. To 
what base purposes are such glasses put ! Some- 
times it is a slight discoloration of the skin, which is 
tenderly surveyed ; at others, an ill-used tooth will 
demand attention. It is always a public display, 
but customary. 

There is one habit I love the Magyars for, it is 
their full appreciation of practical joking. It takes 
a variety of forms, but there's temperament in all. 
The chief value of it is to see it from a safe distance. 
To be the victim is indeed to suffer. Not long ago, 
a young French nobleman visited Budapest, and, 
having excellent introductions, was thrown into a gay 



CUSTOMS, COSTUMES, AND CHARACTER 241 

set of young Counts, who proceeded to show him the 
town. This went on for nearly a fortnight, when 
the young Frenchman, unable to stand it any longer, 
informed his friends that he intended to retire early 
that night, as he was tired out. No murmur came 
from them, and he was soon asleep. Two hours 
later a party of young roysterers were seen carrying a 
pail containing something alive. On their arrival at 
the hotel, they ascertained the number of his room, 
found it unlocked, and entered in the dark, then 
suddenly uncovering him, deposited a quantity of live 
fish in the bed, and scuttled. It nearly drove the 
tired man mad, but it was their idea of a good 
practical joke. Much of this kind of thing resulted 
from the ennui of the old life. Times are changing 
now, and the old coarse form of practical joking is 
out of favour. Yet in contrasting the old with the 
new, and taking into account altered conditions, there 
was more real humour in the old form than in the 
new. Often the most horrible scandals are started 
now, and when traced back to their source, one finds 
that leisure and imagination joined forces to disconcert 
somebody, and it was the effect it produced upon the 
unlucky individual that created the amusement. 
Sometimes men have been almost ruined by such 
meaningless, baseless scandals ; and none are more 
repentant than the perpetrators of the outrage. 
There may be a certain measure of vindictiveness 
about the Magyar, but there is no gall in his blood. 
Nevertheless, there is a serious danger underlying an 
excess of such a practice. 

J6kai in his novels has given English readers an 
opportunity of seeing the strange condition Hungary 
was found in at a certain period — how talents ran 
16 



242 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

to waste, and ambition had no scope. One of the 
most famous jokers of the old school was Jozsa Gyuri, 
the Calvinist. Exiled practically in one of the most 
inaccessible parts of the great plain, he lived and 
died " a prodigal and a buffoon." A story is told of 
Jozsa going to spend a night with a Count Keglevich. 
Wishing to be impressive, he journeyed thither in a 
beautiful new coach, of which he was very proud. On 
being shown over the grounds by the Count, he was 
pointed out a remarkably fine hayrick. Hay was 
then standing at a good price. After supper, J6zsa 
drew together a few members of the " dissipated 
club," and the rick was soon nothing but a heap 
of ashes. Next morning, when Jozsa wanted to con- 
tinue his journey, his wonderful new carriage was not 
to be seen anywhere. " Why, my friend," said the 
Count, " you yourself burnt it last night The fact is, 
my coach-house wants repairing, and as the evening 
threatened to be wet, we put your carriage under the 
rick to keep it dry." Here the biter was bit. He 
terrorised everybody. This quality seems to have 
been inherited from his father. One of the quaint 
habits of his father was to carry with him in his 
carriage no less than 40,000 florins, for he was a 
bargain-hunter, and determined never to miss any- 
thing. When out on such a quest on one occasion 
the carriage-pole snapped, and, being in the middle of 
a wood, the coachman accompanied him in search for 
a young tree that would enable them to proceed. 
Having to go farther than anticipated, and imagining 
all was safe, to their sad surprise they found on their 
return that horses, carriage, and florins had all dis- 
appeared. Such were the old days. Another form 
joking would sometimes take was that of arriving 



CUSTOMS, COSTUMES, AND CHARACTER 243 

in the middle of the night with a huge army of 
servants and friends to stay with some soul noted for 
his stinginess. To detect any irritation or incon- 
venience on the part of the host satisfied the joker 
immediately. As a rule the joker never started on 
such an expedition without laying in a plentiful supply 
of provender. There was always a commissariat section 
to his cavalcade. 

Generosity and hospitality are two outstanding 
features of the Magyar character. It is, even now, 
one thing to pay a visit to some Hungarian friends 
in the country, but quite another thing to get away. 
They never seem wishful to release you. Every 
excuse for departing is ruthlessly hurled to the 
ground, and done in such a manner that the stoutest 
heart gives in. There is no exhausting hospitality 
if one is at all interesting. This is the test applied. 
In the old days carriage wheels were removed and 
hidden, and every conceivable dodge resorted to in 
order to detain visitors. Transylvania, I am sure, 
would do the same thing now. In the sixties land- 
lords were told to send to the manor house all guests 
who had " the faintest claims to respectability." If 
you came from a foreign land, then it was double 
welcome. 



"Graceful women, chosen men, 
Dazzle every mortal." 



Every unspoken wish is divined by these noble 
Hungarian housewives. Theirs has been the great 
undying contribution to Hungarian character. 
Morality is higher amongst the women than the men. 
More things are sacred to these patient, long- 
suffering souls. They have their little vanities, such 



244 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

as being fond of compliments, but they are capable 
of much more intellectual conversation than they 
get from their masculine acquaintances. Exceed- 
ingly well educated many of them are, good linguists, 
and with a thorough knowledge of household affairs. 
Some of the customs particularly associated with 
ladies I have never been able to encompass. There 
is, for instance, that kindly entrance speech, of " Kiss 
the hand," and what is even more important to 
actually accomplish, the feat. I have come to the 
conclusion that nations have to be born to this kind 
of thing. An easier, and in its way quite a nice 
custom, is that of shaking hands with everybody after 
a meal, and wishing them continued health, etc. We 
English are frightfully matter-of-fact. I am not 
quite sure in my own mind whether the Hungarians 
are as fond of flowers as the practice of presenting 
such suggests. Everybody seems imbued with the 
idea of presenting a lady with a flower, and often 
only a single unselected, unthought-of bloom. Custom 
here baffles me. 

The Hungarian is fond of gambling. He loves 
cards. Sometimes he will play all night. Some of 
the Hungarian games are as intricate as bridge, and 
demand much intellectual capacity as well as good 
cards. I remember a somewhat sensational gambling 
story from Kolozsvar. Two Hungarian magnates sat 
down to play cards one night with an Armenian 
merchant named Azbej. It was ten o'clock when the 
game began. Luck at first rested with the Armenian, 
and one of the Hungarians at the close of an hour's 
play had lost all his ready money. He very prudently 

dropped out of the game. His friend Count B 

continued playing, although he lost steadily. After 



CUSTOMS, COSTUMES, AND CHARACTER 245 

six hours' play he got up from the table, having lost 
nearly i^ 1 1,600. It is said that the lucky Armenian 
received 100,000 kronen in cash, an estate worth 
40,000 kronen, and an annuity of i 2,000 kronen, this 
all being done by the Count's family. Many such 
stories are told of merchant and magnate. Sometimes 
it is the other way about, and the magnate replenishes 
his coffers. Gambling I fear is increasing amongst the 
lower classes and women. The lottery system and 
horse-racing accounts for much of this, together with 
the ambition of many people to live beyond their 
means. Official circles suffer much in this way. As 
a friend of mine remarked, " Something '11 have to be 
done." 

The Hungarian is also a great smoker. Sometimes I 
wish he were not. Looking over the figures for a period 
of eight months last year, I find that 1,721,428,690 
kilos of Hungarian tobacco were blown into the air ; 
over 35,000,000 cigars and about 1,500,000 crowns 
worth of foreign tobacco imported. He has a pre- 
ference for the cigar, which is often surrounded by 
foreign or imported Havana outer leaves, no Hungarian 
leaf being sufficiently pliable and strong. The 
Hungarian average of tobacco consumed is more than 
half as much again as that consumed in the British 
Isles, and the second highest in the world, though 
America almost equals it. Whilst in Budapest I heard 
two pipe stories. One is pathetic. An old Magyar 
peasant had apparently smoked the same pipe for 
more than fifty years, and as a natural consequence 
had grown to love it as a companion. One day, how- 
ever, his infant grandson smashed the pipe beyond all 
hope of repair. The old man was so broken-hearted 
at his loss that he hanged himself on a peg. In his 



246 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

pocket was found a scrap of paper on which was 
scribbled : " My pipe is done for, and I must go too." 
To some the element of exaggeration may seem to 
appear, but to me it is quite within the limits of 
possibility, for this is a land of suicides. The other 
pipe story has a happier ending. I was told that a 
century and a half ago there lived in Pest a shoemaker 
named Charles Kovacs. Among his many patrons 
was a Count Andrassy who had been the recipient of 
a huge lump of meerschaum. Handing it to Kovacs 
one day, he ordered him to experiment upon the new 
material, and if possible, fashion from it a pipe. 
Kovacs cut two pieces from the block, and smoked 
one himself Not having troubled to wash during the 
smoking operation, he found that wherever his waxed 
hands came into contact with the pipe, in time appeared 
a pale brown spot like a stain. Still experimenting, 
he waxed the entire pipe, which after habitual smoking 
grew to a most beautiful even brown. Incidentally the 
pipe smoked sweeter than before. Meerschaum then 
sprang into popularity. The aged King of Hungary 
prefers the pipe, which he smokes night and morning. 

Easter, Christmas, and New Year's Eve are pro- 
ductive of customs uncommon in England, Easter 
is the sprinkling season. In Hungary the custom 
is to sprinkle young girls with scent or water, and 
in turn to receive from them highly coloured eggs, 
I mean, of course, that the shells are highly coloured. 
The first girl one meets on Easter morn must be 
sprinkled. This custom is universal in Hungary. 
Amongst the poorer classes, particularly those in the 
country districts, a little rough play is often indulged 
in. No sooner has the thoughtless maiden left the 
house than she is seized by the boys and literally 



CUSTOMS, COSTUMES, AND CHARACTER 247 

dragged — for coaxing availeth little — to the well or to 
the brook. This, let me say, not without a scuffle. 
Finally a bucket of water finds its way all over the girl, 
and then she is allowed to escape. Later she heaps 
coals of fire on their heads, so to speak, by handing 
them eggs. I know many girls who would not miss 
this little amusement. 

The ceremonies preceding Easter in the real 
Hungarian quarter are even more amusing. The day 
before Easter Sunday is utilised to gather together some 
eighty or more people in the market-place. Here 
certain officials are elected, elected to carry out the 
Easter ceremonies. These invariably comprise a 
judge, with'two deputies and two assistants. Having 
accomplished this, prayers are offered that the crops 
may be preserved from locusts, drought, or any other 
devastating pest. The entire company then move 
in broken ranks to the cornfields, singing psalms, and 
halting now and then for prayer. One of the chief 
duties of the officials on occasions such as these 
is to enforce a strict adherence to the rules govern- 
ing religious observances. He who breaketh a 
rule is physically punished. No official must be 
addressed as he would be in ordinary life. Only their 
official title is possible. To forget this means punish- 
ment. The procession will sometimes last for four or 
five hours, commencing at eight in the evening and 
not terminating until after midnight. On Easter 
Sunday morning attendance at church engages every- 
body. In the evening, however, jollity reigns. The 
god of ridicule is dragged out, and any who are out 
of favour with the villagers, or who are guilty of some 
mischief or wrong, are its victims. Those who took 
part in the midnight procession of the previous night 



248 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

then appear before the cottages of the offenders, and 
in dismal, shivering tones beg for admittance. A 
bucket of water will usually disperse them. After 
which more eggs will be given to the one left behind. 
If it happens to be cold, a crowd of them are 
admitted. When this is the case, the ceremony is 
lengthened by further jokes. A lazy notary is pre- 
sented with an assistant, and a drunken priest with a 
doll for baptism. But the entire countryside reeks 
with interesting ceremonies of this nature. 

To talk loudly is esteemed by many a virtue. And 
several may desire to appear virtuous at one and the 
same moment. This has often led me into deep 
water. I prefer the still waters. Nationality must 
out. One is also bound to admire the Hungarian 
almanac. If I were an official, particularly a school 
teacher, I should pray that the coast of the almanac 
be enlarged. In Hungary holidays pall on one. 
Any little bickering will provoke a holiday. Some- 
times these run on for days, as if not knowing how 
to stop. I doubt whether so many are good for the 
country. Once I suggested a change, but was told 
to mind my own business. My name being inter- 
preted in Hungarian " Vilmos," I was allowed a name- 
day holiday. Who would think of keeping William 
or John day in England ? This is not caricature nor 
criticism, but simply asking questions. Without in 
the least being a drunkard, the Magyar loves wine. 
Having sampled most varieties of Hungarian wine, I 
admire his taste. Drinking means company, and the 
Magyar hates sitting alone. Drinking also means 
conversation, and here is another Magyar delight. 
Drinking merely for drinking's sake is foreign to the 
race, 



CUSTOMS, COSTUMES, AND CHARACTER 249 

There is a courtliness about both the old and the 
new families of real Hungarians which is pleasing to 
regard. The desire to please is perhaps a trifle over- 
done. Promises mean so little often — the main idea 
being to pacify for the moment, and to get rid 
of you and the promise at the same time. They 
refrain from bluntness. Personally I prefer English 
methods. Often bowing and scraping is carried to 
an unnecessary extreme. Such, however, is resultant 
from either the impetuous young or the misguided old. 
Torrents of words, of acts scant. I was amazed on 
more than one occasion to find the hatred of the Jews 
so deep-seated. Amongst the best and old families, 
despite his wealth, the Jew is not the power he would 
like to be. In time this prejudice will be broken 
through, and a challenge will be issued. The future 
struggle should be interesting. I remember one crusty 
old fellow who asked his son to look him up the trains 
from Lake Balaton to Budapest. With twentieth- 
century keenness he selected the fast trains, when to 
his surprise the peppery old man answered, " What 
do I want with a fast train ? Let the Jews go by 
that." 

National habits and customs elbow their way so 
into one's mind that selection or arrangement is well- 
nigh impossible. Divorce, for instance, is common — 
almost as common as suicide. Hungary will outgrow 
both of these. Duelling in Hungary has now reached 
ridiculous limits. Death means a year's incarceration 
for the survivor, and I would make it ten years. This 
mad, disfiguring pastime ought to be stamped out, and 
one is glad to find such an array of noble ladies 
striving their utmost to suppress it. A law rendering 
it more difficult to fight duels is practically impossible, 



2 50 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

for so many members of Parliament have constant 
recourse to the arbitrament of the sword. 

When Hungary enjoyed the period of Ex Lex under 
the unconstitutional Fejervary Government, quite 
new traits were revealed. It became boisterously 
turbulent, and called its actions " passive resistance." 
One then saw what men were prepared to do for 
money, and to what lengths a desire for position 
would carry them. It revealed both courage and 
cowardice, patriotism and treachery. Yet in all the 
struggle something of the old-time humour and hatred 
stole out. Lord-lieutenants were needed everywhere, 
but patriots preferred starvation to service under a 
Ministry of nobodys. There were men, however, 
prepared to sell their birthright for a lord-lieutenancy. 
Against all such traitors the country rose en masse. 
To obtain an election was not as easy as it looked. 
A certain number of men had to witness to the election, 
but to find these in some places was well-nigh im- 
possible. Election day was usually a riot. Never 
have I seen the worst in the Magyar brought in such 
volume to the surface. Elections in many places were 
rendered impossible. In Kolozsvar, Count Laszlo Teleki 
was made black and yellow — the Austrian colours — 
by means of soot and eggs. The local M.P. ran 
the Count in with a chair, but the uproar was so great 
that he beat a very hasty retreat. It was not a 
desire to be constitutional that led so many to run 
counter to public opinion, but the appeal of the glories 
of office. In Hungary there is no authority comparable 
with the authority of underlings. Given a sword, a few 
extra buttons on a braided coat, and all things are 
possible. In its higher forms this kind of thing led 
men to accept office under a discredited Ministry. 



CUSTOMS, COSTUMES, AND CHARACTER 251 

Some were literally starved out of towns. When the 
would-be lord-lieutenant arrived at one town, five 
donkeys were sent into the meeting, labelled witnesses. 
Others were executed in effigy. A vote of thanks was 
sent to one in the name of all the rogues, ruffians, and 
thieves, simpty because he called out all the police, 
who formed a guard round him to ensure his election. 
Often sheer brutality was resorted to, and in one town 
the candidate almost lost his life. All this kind of 
thing has given rise to the name " wild Hungarians." 
Political frenzy, it is true, reveals the most savage 
qualities of all races, and the Magyar is not allowed 
to escape such a criticism, but he is no worse. In 
character he is a trifle too easy-going, and will stand 
much more bullying than the average Englishman. 
But once set going he is difficult to stop. For a 
political cause he will do anything ; others leave him 
damp and indifferent. He is quickly cooled in 
argument, and does not often resort to blows. 
Nothing upsets him more than being struck on the 
face. If only boxing were taken up instead of 
duelling, there would be less work for the doctors, 
and fewer disfigured men, but more self-control. 

Another characteristic is the desire to please, the 
anxiety to create a good impression. This is not 
always the result of vanity, but it exhibits a freshness 
and juvenility of character unexpected. Then, again, 
the Magyars have a keen eye for the dramatic. In 
Parliament one may often see this element striding 
into position. Pose and speech are often theatrical ; 
it's in their nature, and escape is impossible. I like 
this quality, the flaring up, the wild gesture, the thunder 
and the lightning of debate, with the final hallowing 
reconciliation scene. 



252 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Dainty little attentions are paid one, which reveal 
to a foreigner their evident desire to please, to provide 
you with the very best they can. I remember being 
at dinner one day with some friends, and being amused 
by the efforts of my host to make sure that my meat 
was the best the dish contained. First he emptied a 
huge quantity of meat on to his own plate, then care- 
fully examined and tested the merits of each piece, 
and finally placed all the choicest parts on my plate. 
It was rather hard on the rest, but it was explained 
that I was the honoured guest, and had but to 
submit. 

Then there is the innate love of show, and of rich 
costumes, etc. At both weddings and funerals much 
pomp is present. The entrance to the house is heavily 
draped, and the stairs leading to the house. Often a 
man in sombre uniform stands as if on duty bent at 
the entrance. The funeral procession is enormous. 
Postilions, scores of enormous wreaths, weeping 
maidens, numberless carriages, and often a priestly 
procession in full canonicals leading the solemn cortege. 
Perhaps there is more fuss made over a funeral than 
a wedding. I was invited one day to a wedding, a 
peasant wedding, right away amongst the Transyl- 
vanian hills. It was a long drive from where I was 
staying, but the day was gloriously bright. I had 
provided myself with a wedding gift for bride and 
bridegroom — a pipe for the man, and a silk hand- 
kerchief for the girl. Driving direct to the house, we were 
introduced to all, and soon our carriages were part of 
the perambulating procession which led up to the little 
Protestant church. No hitches, nothing forgotten, all 
merry and bright, and service over we sat down to 
a most excellent spread in the best room the girl's 



CUSTOMS, COSTUMES, AND CHARACTER 253 

mother could provide. As each dish was ushered in, 
the best man, a real merry soul, delivered a speech at 
which the company roared heartily. After dinner, 
fiddlers three were dragged in, and dancing commenced. 
It is the custom for everybody present to dance with 
the newly-married peasant girl, and when your spell 
is over to place a thank-offering of money in a plate. 
This is supposed to give them a start in life, and to 
insure them against any immediate want. It was an 
interesting sight to see the peasant girls dancing, then 
untying their knotted handkerchiefs for the coin they 
had providently hidden away for the great event. 
Quite a large sum of money was collected. The 
quantity of useful wedding presents amazed me, and 
after being photographed the wedding group simply let 
themselves go, and a real rollicking time we had. 

Let me now deliver myself against customs which 
I think should be abolished. I detest paying a toll 
to cross the bridges every time. It is true it is a 
trifling toll, but the principle of extortion I object to. 
To be called upon to pay for telegraph forms is another 
stupidity which might be dispensed with. Then it is 
appalling that everyone's hands are itching for tips. 
A postman brings you a registered letter which may 
be a county-court summons, and expects to be tipped. 
These petty trifles, as they may be called, are by their 
constant repetition a little annoying. Again I protest 
against having to pay to go in and out of my own room 
after ten o'clock at night. And this to a housemaster 
whose ignorance is only equalled by his impudence 
often. But the things I have grown to adore far 
exceed those that annoy. I love the Magyars with 
all their quaint habits and costumes, their stirring 
patriotism and their hero-worship. I love the kindness 



2 54 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

of the women, their eyes appealing with love, now 
flashing with hate, yet tender in their services and 
exacting in their devotion. It is the element of 
contrast in custom, costume, and character which 
makes one fall down and worship at their shrine. 
I was disappointed over many things, but afterwards 
I found out that it was simply because of erroneous 
things men had written or said about these wayward 
peoples. Every Magyar is not the horseman I looked 
for. That day has passed, and I ought to have 
known it. 

Before this chapter closes I must say something 
about the costumes, the gala costume of the nobility. 
The velvets and furs employed are simply gorgeous. 
Orientalism is seen in the curved scimitar they carry, 
whilst the stri)<ing jewellery, the chains, the monster 
buttons, the fur cap with its aigrette, the tight-fitting 
breeches and top-boots, render the owners conspicuous 
and charming. Hungary is a land of costume. 



CHAPTER XV 
MUSIC AND SONG IN HUNGARY 

" Stirring, bewildering, unspeakably saddening, inexpressibly exhilar- 
ating." — Emil Reich 

MUSIC, like dancing, is temperamental with the 
Magyar. In Hungary it is less the infant 
art than in some countries. There is a distinctiveness 
about Hungarian music, drawn as it is from that strange, 
impetuous temperament of the Magyar, which is rich 
in laughter and tears. One had expected a certain 
floridity, but was happily disappointed. There is 
tone colour, volumes of expression, and huge billows 
of feeling. Wildness often resigns its post to tuneful- 
ness. Much of it seems blank-verse music, full of 
undisciplined protest against something or other ; and 
one goes away only with a sense of having mastered 
its mystifying modulations. It is home-made. Foreign 
influences are recognisable, it is true, every now and 
then, but only now and then. In music perhaps more 
than any other branch of art, the real temperament of 
the Magyar is felt. I have shown the influence of the 
foreign schools upon painting, sculpture, and literature ; 
but in music the Magyar reserves a school of feeling 
and interpretation to himself. Only a Hungarian can 
adequately interpret Hungarian music. One may cor- 
rectly master the phrasing of a passage, may observe 



356 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

all the colour notes with their Italian names, but it 
will even then lack that essential something which 
the Magyar alone can impart. Herein lies his 
genius. It is this impossibility which has always 
made Hungarian music so attractive. It is just like 
trying to understand the Magyars as a race. One 
is neither annoyed nor disappointed by failure, but 
attracted, the aim being to advance farther than one's 
predecessors into the unexplored land and to return 
with some new message. Whence came this wondrous 
quality which so attracts man ? Mayhap in that distant 
home from which the necessities of history seems to have 
driven them, some special musical capacity was born. 
There is a far-awayness about the musical forms which 
seem to suggest such an answer. Music is inherent 
in the Hungarians. Of this one is satisfied. Music 
has always occupied an important place in Hungarian 
life. In the old religious sacrifices it is said that the 
Tdltos, or high priest, led the ceremony with song. 
But singing was not confined to this dignitary. For 
the people present all joined in the refrain, and young 
girls were selected to throw fragrant herbs upon the 
altar flame and dance blithely. There were also the 
many minstrels with their songs and lutes. Thus one 
made merry in olden days. Funerals were particularly 
regarded as opportunities for song and music. It was 
customary then for priests, after they had sufficiently 
praised the virtues of the silent dead, to perform a sort 
of slow dance round the grave. How the times change ! 
Even to-day one may hear the Cantor taking leave of 
the dead in a mournful dirge. But the banquet's the 
thing. It is simply great. I attended one, and I was 
only sorry that I had not lived two hundred years 
earlier, so that I could have seen the famous " Dance 



MUSIC AND SONG IN HUNGARY 257 

of Death " which followed such a meal. In this dance, 
which was probably the oldest Hungarian dance, some 
heathen feeling must have existed. 

In battle also these musical qualities were utilised. 
Often these musicians were combatants. After the 
great battle of Catalaunum, when Attila withdrew to 
his barricade of waggons, the battle-songs of the Huns 
could be heard from one camp to the other. And on 
the morrow scores of lutes were found upon the battle- 
field. Music, feasting, and fighting filled up the life 
of the early settlers, and the spirit of these three char- 
acteristics has not been destroyed by the flight of 
time. Civilisation, perhaps, amid its many exacting 
phases, whilst it has left two of these qualities un- 
impaired, has lessened the desire for fighting. This 
is a result of civilisation, one of the penalties im- 
posed. 

A monk's chronicle of the tenth century informs us 
that the Hungarian dance had seven steps, and that it 
was taught to a crowd of people beside Lake Constance 
by Hungarians who were living near there at the time. 
The great Bishop Gerhard, when on his way from 
Csanad to King Stephen, with Walther, the famous 
singing master of the Fehervar School, was awakened 
during the night by the singing of the people. Turning 
to Walther, he said, " Do you hear how sweet the 
song of the Hungarian is?" On the volume of sound 
growing clearer and sweeter, the Bishop said, " Walther, 
tell me what causes this song which so breaks in upon 
my slumbers ? " The music master then told the 
story of the peasant girl grinding her wheat hand-mill, 
singing away the hardness of her task. 

To-day these songs are heard in the harvest-field, 
and beside the wine-press. Quite eight hundred years 
17 



258 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

ago, Hungarian music enjoyed a reputation which, like 
its constitutionalism, it has held firmly to. On one 
occasion, when fighting as the allies of a great Russian 
prince against the Poles and Bohemians, after a victorious 
combat, they marched into Kiev with much pomp, the 
townsfolk rising to welcome. A historian in speaking 
of this event declares " the house was fortunate in which 
Hungarian music sounded." 

There was not much variety about the ancient 
instruments, and perhaps also about the music they 
discoursed. There was the koboz, or lute, and the 
hegedil, or violin. Whilst of wind instruments large 
and small was the tilinko^ or shepherd's pipe ; a horn 
made either out of buffalo's or ox's horn, which bore 
the name of kurt\ and a kind of small hand-drum, 
similar to a Moorish tambourine minus the castanets. 
I was told that it is best to assume that the Hungarians 
brought these musical instruments from their original 
home. Not wishful to annoy, I did so. Later on I 
looked at some of these primitive instruments of torture 
— in uncultured hands — and I am now convinced my 
friend was right. The lute was usually placed on the 
player's knee, and ^\z.y&A pizzicato. Let it be mentioned 
in connection with the assertion of the Indian Vina 
and its resemblance to the Hungarian lute, that the 
Szekelys of Transylvania have yet a similar instrument 
which they call a timbora. 

Though unfortunately not a single example of those 
old Hun songs were handed down, one may easily 
imagine their dramatic and heroic interest. Two things 
are supposed to account for this loss. One is the 
advance of Christianity ; the other is the defeat of 
Vata's rebellion. The glorious reign of Stephen, how- 
ever, initiated amongst many other excellent things a 



MUSIC AND SONG IN HUNGARY 259 

School for Song. At Szekesfeh^rvar the first of these 
was founded by Bishop Gregory, and the renowned 
Walther was appointed instructor. Alas ! only " thirty 
Christianised families " were allowed to partake of this 
boon. Soon schools sprang up at Esztergom, Pannon- 
halma, Vacz, Veszprem, Nagyvarad, and Nyitra. In 
all this the bishops were very active. In many of the 
early folk - songs the influence of church - music is 
clearly seen. At first only Latin songs were taught, 
seeing that most of the priests were at that period 
Italian. Then, when the Hungarians were ordained, 
hymns with a Magyar text became the vogue. One of 
these early compositions was printed in Nuremberg in 
the middle of the fifteenth century. It was a song 
on St. Stephen. But in the thirteenth century a 
Transylvanian named Klinsor took part in the singing 
competition held at the Wartburg, near Eisenach, and 
gained much renown. Szlatkoni, who was born near 
Nyitra, and eventually became Bishop of St. Stephen's, 
Vienna, was a distinguished musician under Maxi- 
milian I. He was made choirmaster, and his success 
and aim is disclosed by the following rhyme : — 

" In consonance and harmony. 
In melody and symphony, 
In every art to my desire 
Have I improved the tuneful choir ; 
And yet the honour not to me, 
But to my emperor must be." 

The Hungarian monarchs also did much to foster 
the art of music and song. At their courts one found 
many great foreign masters. Sigismund boasted of 
his having secured the services of Georg Stolzer, who 
was a contemporary of Josquin des Pres. Matthias 
had beside him that Dutch master of theory, Johann 



26o HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Tinctoris. Buda had great singers then, and the best 
choir in the world. In the band were no fewer than 
thirty executants, an extraordinarily large number for 
that period. Wladislaus II., surnamed " the Poor," even 
spent two hundred gold pieces annually on singers and 
musicians. The gipsies at this era were not as rich 
or as plentiful as many of them are to-day. Lewis II. 
was fortunate in inducing Adrian Willaert, the creator 
of the madrigal and the founder of the Venetian school, 
to spend seven years at Buda. Buda was more musical 
than it is now. Yes ! It has a past. Despite the 
great influx of German and Italian musicians, little 
impression of their visit was left upon the musical 
character of the Magyars. Only a miserable pittance 
of the period remains. It is rumoured that an organ 
with silver pipes was played in the Matthias Chapel, 
Visegrad. Of the Hungarian folk-songs there is no 
accurate data connected with this period. What spirit 
remained was caught and absorbed by the wandering 
gipsies of the time, and by them it has been perpetuated. 
Of these I have already written. There was, however, 
another kind of music being created, which was more 
essential than either coronation or dedication odes ; it 
was the battle-songs and the music of the camp. 
Cesinge, who in the fifteenth century was Bishop of 
Pecs, composed songs of battle, which he taught the 
men he led. The lute at this period enjoyed great 
renown, and Hungary boasted of several notable 
performers. There was Valentine Bakfark, who lived 
long at the Polish court, and John Newsidler, with 
a noble host of others. But one of the most fasci- 
nating sons of the lute that Hungary produced was 
Sebastian Tinodi. He was composer and player, a 
typical wandering lutist. Tinodi is regarded by many 



MUSIC AND SONG IN HUNGARY 261 

as the first Hungarian composer. Erkel adapted the 
air of one of his songs to his famous opera Ladislaus 
Hunyadi. Passing from mouth to mouth as did 
Tinodi's songs at the time, people began to perpetuate 
his style — a fact clearly disclosed by the songs and 
ballads of the Thokoly and Rakoczy period. 

Then came another influence into Hungarian life, 
an influence which music benefited by. It was the 
Hungarian Reformation. People then sang in their own 
language, and many secular poems were sung to the 
music of sacred songs. The Thokoly period is the 
finest for Hungarian folk - songs. This with the 
Rakoczy songs, with all their natural fire, their im- 
pressiveness, and their marvellous rhythm, marks a point 
at which we may more closely observe the tendency 
and force of the nation's musical gifts, 

" The Muse of nations is coy, 
Oft courted will not come ; 
In palaces and market-squares 
Entreated, she is dumb." 

The musical character of the nation now begins to 
assert itself, and, having done so — speaks. Many of 
these songs were melancholy in character, as songs 
of exiles are wont to be, but their beauty when 
interpreted by a Hungarian is surpassingly great. 
Often have I listened for a whole afternoon to them, 
and the amazing part about them is that I found 
myself humming them all the way home to my room. 
They haunt you, seize hold of you, abide with you. It 
is small wonder that men died fighting and singing. 
After listening to them, a man feels stronger, more 
capable, not simply passionately roused to action, but 
desires to act because of the consciousness of sheer 
strength they impart to him. There is a sad note 



2 62 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

in them all, almost a wail. Life is like these songs, 
and these songs are like life. 

" Therein I hear the Parcae reel 

The threads of man at their humming wheel, 
The threads of life, and power, and pain. 
So sweet and mournful falls the strain." 

Ask a Hungarian to play for you " Ne busulj " (Don't 
be grieved) or " Zold asztalon 6g a gyertya," and you 
will appreciate what I have written. But from the 
middle of the seventeenth to the end of the eighteenth 
century only the song and nofa were prominent in 
Hungarian music. Nota is only another way, the 
Hungarian way, of saying tune, and it implied some- 
thing more imposing and grand than the music-set 
folk-song. One must not, however, forget those early 
dances. Of dances there were two kinds — the court 
dances, and those the peasants revelled in. If the 
truth were known, the latter were the most fascinating. 
Most of the former were slow and undoubtedly grace- 
ful, but not, if one judges aright, exactly in keeping 
with the gay-grave Magyar temperament. The 
" dumping tune " of the peasantry fortunately provided 
the necessary element of contrast. One simply had 
to leisurely stroll through the movements of the " court 
dances," which indeed were so slow that even 
ecclesiastics took part in them. As a variation gay 
young courtiers would often dance a solo dance, 
doubling the time to their evident enjoyment. 
Another dance which seemed to grow out of some 
of those slow steps was the Verbunkos, which according 
to a chronicler was danced at recruiting. Apparently 
this is a purely Hungarian speciality. One is sorry 
that the old-time variety has faded, for one reads 



MUSIC AND SONG IN HUNGARY 263 

of the " Wedding Dance," the Sdtoros, or " Dance of the 
Tents," and the " Drum Dance." Even in the forties of 
the nineteenth century Society boasted of its K'drmagyar 
and its Fiizer-tdncz. But the csdrdds fortunately 
remains, and an irresistible dance it is indeed. Still 
pursuing the centuries, one finds a Hungarian named 
Cousser of Pozsony at Hamburg helping to create the 
first German opera. He became in time quite a 
famous man, and in 1700 was choirmaster at a big 
church in Dublin. A serenade of his on the birth 
of George I. attained some popularity. In the realm 
of church-music Francisci of Beszterczebanya was a 
noted figure in the early days of the eighteenth 
century. He was a great organist, and knew Bach 
intimately. Hungary owes much to the interest and 
generosity of its landed gentry regarding music. In 
the old times — unfortunately not true of to-day — the 
nobility did much to foster the art. The Esterhazys 
had a wonderful band at Kis-Marton, and a band with 
quite a history. Three of its conductors won European 
fame. There was Haydn, Pleyel, and Hummel, a 
trio of great names and greater men. Old Duke 
Nicholas Esterhazy also erected a beautiful theatre. 
But he was not alone in his patronage. The 
Kdrolyis and the Batthyanys had also excellent bands 
and theatres. These, aided by the bishops, did much 
to keep alive the art and encourage the best foreign 
influences. At Gyor lived Beethoven's master, the 
famous master of counterpoint, Albrechtsberger ; 
whilst Nagy-varad boasted of Michael Haydn and 
Dittersdorf. All these men influenced in some way 
Hungarian musical thought and feeling. As there are 
great musical centres in England, where special soil 
seems to have been planted, so is it in Hungary ; 



264 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

hence Kassa, Eger, Nagy-varad, Pecs, Pozsony, and 
Temesvar are really the best places, and the most 
musical audiences for singers and players. In this 
way music then became fashionable — a horrible ex- 
pression — but a true one — to associate with art. The 
piano soon became popular, and was found in all the 
big houses. One of the first, if not the first book 
for the piano was written by Stephen Gati. This was 
early in the nineteenth century. Quickly followed 
works by Domeny and Milovitzky. A composer of 
variety, and perhaps of some note, belonging to this 
period was Fuss, who, though born in Hungary, lived 
most of his time at Vienna. Haydn interested 
himself somewhat in the many compositions of this 
man. All along the nation had awaited the advent 
of a really big man. Hungary in every department 
of its history has always produced such, and music 
was not to be denied. The first name to stir the 
great world outside was Hummel. He was born at 
Pozsony, and as pianist and composer achieved fame. 
He died at Weimar in 1837. But the man w^ho 
followed him, and who lifted up Hungarian music, and 
with it the nation itself, was Francis Liszt, the greatest 
man the nation produced. His influence is felt every- 
where. He was a prodigy — and more. Of Liszt I 
feel I could write on for ever, he was so wonderful. 
As a boy I once saw the old master, tall, white-haired, 
with an enormous head resting upon broad shoulders, 
eagle-like eyes, fine ironical mouth, with eloquent 
lips, and interesting nose — and one must not forget 
the many warts. I would have given worlds to have 
heard him play. But to have seen him was something. 
His whole life was a poem, grave and gay. In his 
ninth year he startled the world, and one regrets now 



MUSIC AND SONG IN HUNGARY 265 

that he gave up the life of the virtuoso before he 
became forty. His great master was Czerny. 
Beethoven kissed the boy Liszt of eleven tender 
years on the occasion of his first recital at Vienna. 
As a pianist he has never really been equalled. 
Chatting with one of his pupils, Herr Georg Liebling, 
he told me that Liszt " made the piano sound as no 
one else ever has. Even up to the very last he was 
in perfect command of sublime effects — giving here 
the effect of a storm, there the effect of sunshine." 
His tours were histories. The entire world seemed 
to prostrate itself before him. It was more than 
anything else the manifestation of the Hungarian 
in his playing that so captivated men. A distinguished 
Hungarian has written : " As a matter of fact, Liszt 
was not a pianist only, he was a great poet. He 
wrote his poems with his fingers on the keyboard. 
It was real poetry." After the fateful Revolution he 
settled down at Weimar, devoting himself to com- 
position. Both Mendelssohn and Schumann regarded 
him as a supreme master of the piano. The former 
in writing to his mother said : " I have never met a 
musician whose musical feeling would run so much 
into the tips of the fingers and would stream out from 
there directly." Whilst Schumann in his musical 
journal declares : " It is not any more piano playing 
of this or another sort, but utterance of a bold character 
to whom fate has given, instead of a dangerous instru- 
ment, the most peaceful of arts, an art to conquer 
and to govern the world." His personal life was full 
of charm, the charm of rich association, and of kindly, 
generous deeds. The way he championed Wagner 
was but a revelation of his great nature. 

As a composer he was less than he desired. There 



266 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

is a haunting sense of inadequacy about the life of a 
mere executant, however great, which soon depresses 
him, for he seeks the more permanent fields of 
recognition. Liszt must also, great though he was, 
have realised the impermanency of mere applause. 
Therefore it was not surprising that he desired to be 
remembered and go down to history as a composer. 
He was not a great composer viewed in the large 
sense, but he was a composer of note. His " Hungarian 
Rhapsodies " are incomparable. In them one may 
distinguish some of the sweetest of the folk-songs and 
dances. He was the creator of the rhapsody and 
the symphonic poem, and demonstrated that Hungarian 
music is capable of being applied seriously. In 1862 
he visited Rome and lived in seclusion in the Convent 
Monte Maria, receiving there the lowest form of 
clerical ordination. The Abbe Liszt, this was another 
dream of his life. About this period his most im- 
portant contributions to music were made — his 
oratorio, SL Elizabeth^ the famous Hungarian Coronation 
March, and another oratorio named Christus. He 
became President of the Hungarian Academy of Music 
in 1875, and did a little teaching at Budapest. This 
giant died at Bayreuth in 1886. He was a wonderful 
personality. Nevada tells of meeting him in Paris 
towards the close of his life. It was one of those 
great gatherings of musicians — Liszt, Gounod, Ruben- 
stein, Thomas, D6Iibes, Massenet, and Saint-Saens. 
Nevada sang some of his songs, and Saint-Saens played 
the accompaniments. The old Abb6 was drawing 
near to the end of his life, and when his songs were 
sung went fast asleep in a spirit of reverential com- 
pliment, but as soon as someone else's music was 
played, he awakened instantly and listened intently. 



MUSIC AND SONG IN HUNGARY 267 

This was so like Liszt. In Hungary, Liszt's is still a 
name to conjure with. Contemporary with Liszt was 
Francis Erkel, who was born at Bekes-Gyula. Erkel 
is rightfully termed the creator of Hungarian opera. 
His predecessors as composers of opera were by no 
means of Erkel's calibre. Rusicska, Heinisch, and 
Bartay made some contribution, but they all lacked 
the genius which endures. Of Erkel's works, Ladislaus 
Hunyadi and Bank Ban justify his fame. The over- 
ture of the former is remarkable, whilst the Swan 
Song and the Funeral March are pieces of fine 
classical composition. Bd^ik Ban is typically Hun- 
garian, and visitors to Budapest should make an effort 
to hear it whenever it is performed. In it one both 
sees and feels something really, genuinely Magyar. 
Erkel wrote much, but these alone are famous and 
known. As a conductor he was also famous, for he 
laid the foundation of the Budapest Philharmonic 
Concerts. Work of this nature made its distinct appeal 
to musical circles, but Erkel will never be forgotten by 
the entire Magyar race, for it was he who composed 
the music of the national anthem, " Isten aldd meg a 
magyart." In the whole crowd of national hymns 
one may hear some more imposing, but none more 
inspiring. The genius and feeling of the nation seems 
to be concentrated in that song, and it reveals more 
than any other national hymn that I know. 

This was more or less the golden age of Hungarian 
music. Men talked and wrote of it in distant 
capitals — marvelled at its strange, insinuating pathos, 
its captivating melodies, its range, and its rare com- 
binations. Many understood it not, for none had 
tried to understand the Magyar. It was a new 
musical force, and often strange criticisms of the 



268 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

race arose from criticisms of the music. There was 
something of the historic wildness continually peeping 
out from the bars of composition ; something of that 
untaught yearning, that striving for recognition, that 
disappointment, which has often o'ertaken the Hungarian 
in his march of progress. The nation expressed itself 
musically, and the great world understood not. New 
forms then came into vogue with new men. Charles 
Goldmark was soon recognised as a dramatic com- 
poser of power. His chamber-music, symphonies, and 
songs earned more than a mere local appreciation. 
Goldmark, though born at Keszthely, was not destined 
to become a mere parochial composer. His poetic 
originality and his harmony, schooled into strength 
perchance beside the banks of Lake Balaton, won 
recognition immediately. By his " Spring," " Sappho," 
and the " Country Wedding," he is known in almost 
every European capital. But his " Queen of Sheba " 
and " Merlin " unfold the real greatness of the man. 
He worked slowly, re-wrote much, aiming always at 
an exceedingly high degree of excellence. Small 
triumphs satisfied him not. Thus endeth the race 
of Hungarian musical giants. 

Composers have ever been prolific, but great com- 
positions have been rare. In much of the work that 
followed Erkel, Liszt, and Goldmark there was much 
excellent writing, and a tunefulness which the old 
masters had not adequately grasped ; but the stamp 
of genius could not be applied to much of the work. 
Both Thern and Huber wrote much, but greatness 
was not their achievement. Jeno Hubay, an eminent 
violinist, had also ambitions in the opera line, and 
one of his works achieved no little popularity. It is 
called Falu rossza. Mihalovich was another who 



MUSIC AND SONG IN HUNGARY 269 

writes well and much. Of quantity there has been 
no stint, but quality seemed to revolve around a very 
narrow and select group. In connection with the 
contributors to Hungarian music, the names of 
Mosonyi and Cornelius Abrdnyi the elder must not 
be omitted. Edward Bartaj^- and Emerik Szekely 
were others who as composers achieved some notoriety. 
Stephen Heller was also a pianist of renown, a rapid 
composer, and a distinguished teacher. His best 
work was done in Paris, The one - armed Count 
Geza Zichy created quite a sensation wherever he 
played, by his wonderful performances. By such as 
these, by the virtuoso more than the composer, the 
rich gifts of the Hungarian became known. 

Crowds of song - writers. Egressy, Lanyi, and 
Szigligety are names dear to the Magyar, but which 
are practically unknown in England. Modern music 
is known, but some of the great grand music-poems 
of the dead have never been heard even by the wonder- 
ing English critic. Hungary made its contribution, in 
its own way, to the musical character of Europe. In 
Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, and Weber one may 
find distinct Hungarian passages; whilst amongst the 
men of another generation and class the influence 
is equally strong. These are Berlioz, Volkmann, 
Brahms, Raff, Hofmann, Biilow, Massenet, Delibes, 
and Mascagni. A veritable host of worthies. In 
the realm of great exponents Hungary again has 
something to say, Joachim, Remenyi, Auer, Singer, 
Richter, Vecsey, Poldini, Dohnanyi, Nikish, and the 
two Szigetis are all great names. In grand opera 
to-day Hungary is also well equipped. Let not the 
name of WilHam Beck or Rothhauser be omitted. The 
lighter forms of music find Fedak, Blaha, Petrass, and 



270 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Rdthonyi all good exponents. Singing is not one of the 
great achievements of the Magyars. Capable but not 
great in grand opera, much better actors than vocalists. 
Writers are as plentiful as ever, and production is 
prolific. Teachers are good. There is the one and 
only Popper, a veritable master of the " 'cello." As 
a master he is incomparable. But he is only a 
Hungarian subject, not a Hungarian bred and born. 
There is always an eagerness to appropriate the great, 
therefore both Bohemia and Hungary lay claim to 
this genius of the strings. Lehar, that modern 
master of musical comedy, popular and prolific, is 
also claimed by two countries. Independent of all 
these claims, Hungary is rich enough in true-born 
sons and daughters to amply justify her rearing 
proudly her head in musical Europe. 




NIGHT ON THE DANUBE, LOOKING TOWARDS BUDA 



CHAPTER XVI 
HUNGARY'S POLITICAL RELATION TO AUSTRIA 

"A personal union carrying with it the duty of mutual de- 
fence." — Deak 

IF there is one point upon which the foreigner on 
visiting Hungary is confused, yea, ignorant, it 
is regarding the relationship of Hungary to Austria. 
The Magyars are very sensitive about this being 
clearly defined, and attribute much of the hatred 
which they have to encounter to a wilful intention 
on the part of writers to distort and to disfigure the 
actual facts. For my brothers of the pen, or on 
behalf of those of English birth, I deny the wilfulness, 
but plead guilty to ignorance. Many of them 
ignorantly write of the " Austrian Empire." When 
such is supposed to include Hungary, then the error 
is great indeed. Ev^en the term " Austro- Hungarian 
Empire " is an unhappy one. The essential fact to 
be reahsed and understood at the very beginning is 
that Austria and Hungary are severally autonomous. 
They have always been so. Therefore, when for 
political reasons they invested one person " with the 
external attributes of sovereignty," neither country 
subordinated to the other its absolute independence. 
So one sees an Emperor- King, the representative of 
two distinct codes of public law, the product of two 



272 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

distinct nations. The person of a common ruler 
connects the two countries. 

Just as long as there has been a Hungarian nation 
there has been a Constitution. The growth of this 
Constitution is parallel with the growth of the nation. 
At the end of the tenth century, when Christianity- 
did its great work in Hungary, the King was invested 
with a vast prerogative. In those days it appeared 
a necessity to concentrate power upon a certain 
individual, seeing that the land was in constant 
danger both from the east and the west. This pre- 
rogative, however, did not go unchecked for long. 
Institutions sprang up. A national assembly, which 
was the gathering of all the freemen, and which soon 
developed into national representation, was recog- 
nised as a legislative force, seeing that its assent was 
essential to the giving of " permanent force to royal 
enactments." This epitome of constitutional history 
and usage may be of some special value to the 
traveller. Another feature to be remembered was 
the " semi - elective character of the crown, which, 
though vested in a reigning dynasty, could be trans- 
ferred by election to any member of that dynasty, 
making it advisable for the King to conciliate public 
opinion if he wished to ensure succession to his son." 

Independent of all this was that clause effective 
in the Golden Bull right down to 1686, " conferring 
in so many words on the estates of the realm a 
right of resistance to the King, should he infringe 
their liberties." Kingly prerogative thus underwent a 
change. The theory or idea of Hungary as a vassal 
State is therefore preposterous. It was in 1686 that 
the Hungarian crown became hereditary. A hundred 
and sixty years before this, the Habsburg dynasty 



POLITICAL RELATION TO AUSTRIA 273 

was called to the Hungarian throne. The Hungarians 
will never forget Mohacs. Even then, when the 
Hungarian forces were so annihilated by the Turks, 
and the helplessness of the country was so apparent, 
and when Ferdinand, brother of the victorious 
Charles v. of Germany and Spain, was elected King 
of Hungary, even then there was no thought of 
merging the old kingdom into that of Austria. On 
the contrary, " the election and coronation of Ferdinand 
took place on the express condition that the inde- 
pendence of the Hungarian Crown and the Constitution 
of the realm should remain unimpaired." Hungary 
has never forfeited her right to such independence. 
She has been treated as a conquered nation, and 
absolute government has been tried to eradicate that 
innate sense of national liberty and constitutional 
government. But all such efforts have failed, and 
will fail. 

Now, whilst the old method of monarchical election 
was dispensed with in 1686, something else had come 
into existence which in a measure balanced affairs up. 
Primarily there was the question of coronation, and 
after that all the necessary legislation surrounding 
such a ceremony. For instance, the old laws main- 
tained that the heir to the throne must see that the 
crown is placed on his head "within six months of 
his accession." Supposing he should fail to observe 
this law, then he is shorn of legislative power. To 
be crowned he must possess the assent of the national 
representative bodies, who impose such conditions as 
they deem necessary. Thus is it that every coronation 
is virtually founded on a " new agreement between 
King and nation." This is all embodied in a document 
called the " Inaugural Diploma," to which is attached 
18 



2 74 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

the King's oath to observe the terms therein, and 
preserve the Constitution. 

In this way one may clearly see the fundamental 
principle of Hungarian institutions, that all power has 
its source in the nation. The nation crowns the King, 
and his very prerogative is blended into one with 
popular rights. Count Apponyi declares that " both 
together, prerogative and people's rights are designated 
in their joint force and sacredness by the name of * the 
holy Hungarian crown,' of which every Hungarian 
citizen is a member." As the first part of the 
Habsburg rule which ended in 1723 was productive 
of no juridical tie of any kind, it was hardly likely 
that the new epoch would see one. Neither did it. 
True, it witnessed oppression and obstruction, the 
latter the direct outcome of the former, but no weld- 
ing tie was formed. The year 1723 is interesting 
from more than one point of view. It was the year 
of the celebrated " Pragmatic Sanction." This historic 
act settled several things, and probably unsettled many 
people. Notable was the conferring the right of 
descent upon the feminine branch of the House of 
Habsburg in connection with the Hungarian Crown. 
That is, " hereditary right to reign as Kings of Hungary 
is conferred on the male and female descendants of 
the Kings Leopold I., Joseph I., and Charles III., in 
conformity with the law of primogeniture already 
in vogue in the Austrian domains, to the effect that 
as long as the above-mentioned lineage lasts, the same 
physical person must infallibly reign in both countries, 
Hungary and Austria, with no legal possibility of 
division. The other collateral branches of the Austrian 
house have no right to succession in Hungary, though 
they may be possessed of it in Austria." The situation 



POLITICAL RELATION TO AUSTRIA 275 

as outlined by the Pragmatic Sanction is clear. When 
the above-mentioned lineage has run its course, then 
the old right of election will again be utilised, and 
utilised independently of anything Austria may do ; 
whilst, as matters go to-day, foreign aggression is 
provided against, and the liberties of the nation 
respected. By this I mean that both countries are 
pledged to assist each other against foreign aggression. 

In all this what can one discover that in any way 
impairs the independence of Hungary? In Law I. 
of 1790-91, Article 10, the following is found: — 

" On the humble proposal of the estates and orders 
of the realm, his most Holy Majesty has been pleased 
to recognise : 

" That, though the succession of the feminine branch 
of the Austrian House, decreed in Hungary and her 
annexed parts by the Laws I. and II. of 1723, be- 
longs, according to the fixed order of succession 
and in indivisible and inseparable possession, to the 
same prince whose it is in the other kingdoms and 
hereditary domains, situated in or out of Germany : 
Hungary with her annexed parts is none the less a free 
and independent kingdom, concertting her whole form 
of rule {including therein every branch of administration'), 
which means : submitted to no other kingdom or people, 
but possessed of her own consistence and constitution ; 
therefore she must be ruled by her hereditary and 
crowned kings, consequently by his most Holy Majesty 
too, and by his successors, according to her own laws 
and customs, and not after the example of other 
provinces, as is already enacted by the Laws III. 
171 5, VIII. and XI. 1741." 

Thus the names or titles " imperial " and " royal " 
are equal though distinct, the dignity of the one in 



276 HUNGARY AND THE HUNXJARIANS 

no whit surpassing the dignity of the other. There- 
fore in Hungarian public law " the Emperor of Austria 
is a foreign subject," and vice versa. What effect had 
the Revolution of 1848 and the interim to 1867 upon 
this position ? In no way was the " legal continuity 
of the principles " destroyed, events untoward in 
themselves simply suspended them. The nation 
always, whatever the nature of the struggle, pre- 
served the " legal continuity." During the moments 
of suspension the nation patiently awaited its oppor- 
tunity, and the tide always turned. In 1867, feeling, 
thanks to able statesmanship and unremitting agitation, 
again flowed in the direction of Hungary. It was 
the year of the famous " Ausgleich." Naturally it 
meant change, new rules and new conditions, but 
in no essential part was the dignity of the nation 
lowered, nor its independence as a sovereign power 
weakened. Alongside of the wonderful recuperative 
force of the nation must be placed its tenacity to the 
juridical relationship of Hungary to Austria which 
had existed for so long a period, and which involved 
the independence of Hungary. The " Ausgleich " did 
many things, and amongst them it upheld the principles 
of the " Pragmatic Sanction," determining clearly 
national independence, and the mutual and common 
protection of the common safety. Having again 
secured this, means were then devised by which the 
question of mutual defence could be most fittingly 
arranged. Thus sprang into existence the " Delegations." 
By means of these joint action is unfailingly secured. 
Both the Hungarian and the Austrian Parliament 
selects a delegation which consists of sixty members, 
forty of whom are drawn from the elective House of 
Deputies and twenty from the Magnates. These are 



POLITICAL RELATION TO AUSTRIA 277 

elected for one year, but the members may be re- 
elected. In the case of a dissolution of Parliament 
the Delegations share the same fate. The Emperor 
and King alternately summon the Delegations to meet 
at Vienna and Budapest. Each delegation has its 
president and officers, and the sittings are held inde- 
pendently. A decision is arrived at by an absolute 
majority. Supposing, however, there is a difference 
of opinion, an attempt is made to settle the question 
by correspondence. Should this fail after a threefold 
exchange of communications, a joint session is held, 
in which — without discussion — the question is put, 
and by a mere absolute majority decided. I do not 
think this has ever happened. I have often asked 
the question. What would happen if the voting was 
equal ? Who would decide ? In Hungarian law there 
appears no provision made for such a possibility. 
This is a grave defect. The business of the Delega- 
tions is concerned with the " Common Affairs " of 
Austria and Hungary. What are these ? The three 
absorbing questions are foreign affairs, common defence, 
and finance. To provide for a Common Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs and War necessitated the formation of 
the third Common Ministry — that is, of Finance. The 
first two Ministries and their functions will doubtless 
be clearly apprehended, but the third is open to some 
mystification. The expenses of the Minister of Foreign 
Affairs and of War are jointly borne by both countries 
" in proportion to their comparative financial power." 
How is this gauged ? Practically by the results of 
taxation. Therefore your Common Minister of Finance 
is not the inventor nor institutor of a financial policy, 
in the accepted sense of such ; but rather a cashier who, 
receiving contributions from both countries, disburses 



278 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

them to the " respective common departments." In pass- 
ing, it should be mentioned that " it is merely accidental 
that the Common Minister of Finance is now generally- 
entrusted with the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina." 

The Common Ministry of Foreign Affairs naturally 
implies a Common Diplomatic Service. Hence you 
may always, or at least you should, read — Austro- 
Hungarian Foreign Minister, The Foreign Minister 
must keep up a regular communication with foreign 
States, and with regard to foreign lands it is his 
business to watch over the interests which concern 
both States and their subjects, to consider international 
treaties, and in general the business of foreign commerce 
and international communication. To all this some 
critics would add " and continually to consult Berlin." 
The Common War Minister deals with the joint army 
and marine. The Hungarian Honved, or national 
army, is, however, controlled by the Hungarian Minister 
of National Defence, save in the questions relating to 
mobilisation for war. In such a case control falls 
upon the Commander-in-Chief, who is named by the 
King. In public law the individuality of the Hungarian 
Army has been expressly maintained. The importance 
of the Delegations is obvious. This is clear from the 
business transacted concerning commerce and customs. 
Every ten years the relationship of one country to the 
other in a commercial sense crops up. But all the business 
of the Delegations relating to commerce and customs 
must bear the impress of satisfaction of the Legislature, 

A question that continually excites attention in 
Hungary is the extent of the quota that country 
should contribute to the Common Budget. This year 
the contribution of the Hungarians has been slightly 
increased. The contribution is included in the 



POLITICAL RELATION TO AUSTRIA 279 

domestic Budget of the country. At first one may- 
appear to discover a limitation or restriction of the 
financial power of the Hungarian Chamber. This is 
illusionary. Though the Hungarian Chamber has no 
special power to change any of the amounts contained 
in the Common Budget, it can refuse to endorse them 
if it should consider that the Delegations had exceeded 
their powers. The manner in which the Delegations 
act in connection with Parliament is more simple 
than it can be made to appear on paper. And it 
must be continually borne in mind that these Common 
Ministers have neither right nor " power to intervene 
or exercise influence in matters which concern either 
Austria or Hungary exclusively." These Common 
Ministers therefore do not represent a superior domain 
in the sense of being able to control Hungary. On 
the contrary, it is a uniting bond, but one which does 
not bind. The " Ausgleich " is simply a law so very 
much like any other law, which can be either abolished 
or changed at " Hungary's uncontrolled pleasure.' 
The entire machinery of the Delegations, legally speak- 
ing, " can be destroyed by an independent act of the 
Hungarian Legislature," Thus Hungary stands as 
heretofore an independent and sovereign State. 

There is no Austro- Hungarian territory, and no 
Austro- Hungarian citizens. At the moment of writing 
the citizens of Austria enjoy the privilege of universal 
suffrage, whilst those of Hungary vote under the old 
Franchise Act. Qualifications vary in each country, and 
no man can become the citizen of Austria without 
giving up his citizenship in Hungary. The double 
term " Austria- Hungary " then implies not one empire, 
but " the permanent union of two nations for certain 
international purposes." 



CHAPTER XVII 

THE DANUBE 

"Nature can do no more than physicians."— Cromwell 

THE Danube is neglected more than it should be. 
People only know it in patches. It is not 
fashionable. In Hungary to-day the tendency is to 
know about other countries first. In a measure this 
is also true of England, though scanty linguistic 
capacity keeps many timorous souls at home. This 
excuse will not meet the Hungarian case. I looked 
at the broad, swift-flowing Danube a long time before 
I ventured even to cross from one bank to the other 
on one of the " propellers." The visitor is beset with 
considerations which do not weigh with the Magyars. 
Most people, for instance, come direct to Budapest — 
from somewhere. From Budapest short interesting 
trips are difficult to arrange. The shortest is too short 
and the longest too long. Hence they leave Hungary 
without really seeing the Danube. To see the Danube 
properly one must at least go from Vienna to Orsova. 
You will not even then see all the Danube, but you 
will see some of the most picturesque scenery. One 
of the chief considerations of the American visitor is 
shortness of time, yet more Americans than English 
take the journey between Vienna and Budapest by 
boat instead of train. It is worth it in the summer. 





MARIA THERESA'S CASTLE, POZSONY 



THE DANUBE 281 

Americans less than the English fear the difficulties 
of language. Englishmen as a rule move within a 
certain touring orbit, and within that radius kindly 
souls bridge over the language question. 

The difficulties on the boats running to and from 
Orsova are not great. Many of the chief officers 
on the Erste K.K. priv Donau-Dampfschiffahrts- 
Gesellschaft boats speak a little English, and are 
always glad to increase their store. The boats are 
good, and the food affording and not too expensive. 
Leaving Vienna, one must needs pass through Austrian 
territory for some thirty miles. Even this has its own 
interest. One's memory of the Napoleonic struggle of 
1 809 is refreshed by passing Aspern, Essling, and 
Wagram. Later comes Deutsch-Altenburg, Hutelberg, 
with its neighbouring Roman ruins, and Rottenstein 
Castle. Time passes quite pleasantly until Deveny is 
sighted. Here the scenic atmosphere changes. It is 
often the first glimpse of Hungary that one obtains. 
At first it strikes one as commonplace. To me it made 
this one appeal, that of restful strength. True, there 
are a hundred places that provide such, but the pastoral 
strength of this view after one has just left the noisy 
Viennese streets, and all the attractions of the city, is 
powerfully borne in upon one. 

At the foot of the ruined castle which immediately 
demands an examination of the guide-book, lies the 
little market town of Deveny, in a charming valley. 
Those whose business it is to tap rocks with their tiny 
geological hammers tell us that once a huge inland 
sea flowed up here and covered the Hungarian 
lowlands. Here the fossil-hunter has found traces of 
antediluvian times, remains of strange animals, and 
pottery. Curious souls even to-day wander out in 



282 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

search of these century-stones. Mountains begin to 
loom in all their natural greyness. These are not 
spurs of the Alps, but on that lofty crag upon which 
rests the stately ruins of D6v6ny one may behold the 
Extreme peak of the Lesser Carpathians. Gazing 
down the river, another eminence with another castle 
rich in decay meets the eye. It is the old fortress of 
Pozsony. The place looked so interesting that I 
determined to break my journey here and explore the 
ramparts of the town. For many reasons I am glad 
I did this. Pozsony is a city off the touring track. 
It is just one of those towns that are known from the 
carriage window. In the town I found a multitude of 
interests. Historic struggle has drawn deep furrows 
across the face of the town. These do not disfigure, 
they only accentuate and remind. Not until the ninth 
century did its name appear in early history, but from 
that period onwards to 1848, Pozsony was connected 
with all the great Hungarian movements. Perhaps 
one ought to give its Baedeker or German name of 
Pressburg. The strategical position of the town was 
important, hence the repeated attacks it was called 
upon to repel. In 1042 it was destroyed by the 
Germans, but was so speedily rebuilt and fortified that 
it successfully withstood two noted and powerful 
attempts at capture within a short period. Alas ! in 
1 27 1 the city fell again. Moving rapidly over the 
crowded past until 1541 is reached, the greatness of 
Pozsony is beheld in the fact that when in that year 
Buda was Turk-ridden, this little Danube town became 
the capital of Hungary. Here kings were crowned, 
and from here the ministers of State directed the affairs 
of the land. Even after the Turks had vacated Buda 
and had been driven over the frontier lines, Pozsony 



THE DANUBE 283 

retained its glory and power. It was here that the 
Austrian and Hungarian malcontents concluded the 
treaty with the Archduke Matthias against Rudolf II. 
In 1 619 the town again fell, and this time into the 
hands of that Protestant hero Bethlen Gabor. Three 
years later the Imperialists avenged a former defeat, and 
the city was recovered. Such were the fluctuations of 
Pozsony. Then there was that memorable parliament- 
ary session of 1687, when the Magyars accepted the 
principle of hereditary succession. History mounts 
upon the shoulders of history to fascinate one here. 
The age of Maria Theresa immortalised Pozsony. 
Who has forgotten the opposition to her from without ? 
The enmity of Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria, and France ? 
The flight of Maria to Pozsony, the summoning of the 
Diet, her appearance before that assembly on September 
II, 1 74 1, with her infant son Joseph in her arms, 
her appeal in Latin to the largeness and the loyalty 
of the nobles, and their declaration, " Moriamur pro 
rege nostro Maria Theresa." These events made 
history, and with it assured a niche for Pozsony. 
Another event which increases the attraction of the 
city is the fact that here on the 26th of December 
1805 peace was made between Napoleon and Francis I. 
after Austerlitz. Thus, from event to event did 
Pozsony progress until the dawn of the Hungarian 
struggle for Independence in 1848, continuing to be 
the seat of the Legislature, and as such the scene of 
those momentous reform debates which heralded the 
Revolution. Pozsony to-day is quite another place. 
It has lost its political significance, but won laurels in 
the fields of commerce. Its old-time dignity sits 
nobly upon the city still. Walking its streets and 
conversing with its citizens brings back in vivid tones 



2 84 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

the past. The old-world air of the place reminds one 
of an English cathedral town. Yet there is much 
activity. Its population of 70,000 are not dreamers, 
and there is an atmosphere of German commercialism 
about the place. The dynamite factory produces 
more than one million kilograms of explosive material 
annually, and there is a large business done in tobacco, 
papers, brushes, ribbons, leather-work, liqueurs, con- 
fectionery, corn and wine. It is a curious combination 
of learning and business. There is an excellent 
Academy of Jurisprudence and Philosophy here, and 
numerous religious seminaries. Pozsony is the see of 
an evangelical bishop, and the headquarters of one of 
the fifteen army-corps of the Hungarian Army. It is, 
in fact, an up-to-date little city with a historic back- 
ground. Churches and Jews flourish here. The 
Cathedral dates from the eleventh century, and is in 
the Gothic style. Here the Hungarian kings were 
crowned formerly. Apart from this the church is 
interesting because it contains the tomb of that great 
preacher Peter Pazmdny, and a statue of St. Martin in 
the garb of a hussar, cast in lead by the celebrated 
Donner. Pozsony has, in fact, all the characteristics 
of a great city, attractions enough to satisfy a place 
ten times its size. The natural beauties of its surround- 
ings provide numerous excursions, of which I have tried 
not a few. Catching the boat again and pursuing the 
journey to Budapest, almost the first thing that one 
notices is the uninteresting flatness of the land. It is 
almost like Holland in parts. Here begins the Little 
Hungarian Plain. Scarcely out of sight of Pozsony, 
the Danube takes it into its head to divide up into two 
parts. This seems to the visitor an odd caprice. But 
it does it all the same. The smaller stream, bent upon 



THE DANUBE 285 

exploration, bears the name of the Csallokoz Danube. 
A little farther on the wild force of the Vag joins in 
with it, and this sort of Vag-Duna rejoins the main 
stream, forming as it does the island of a hundred 
villages — Csallokoz. Then comes Szigetkoz, another 
mid-Danubian island, at the extreme end of which is 
Gonyo. Here one may find a group of tired and dis- 
appointed gold-washers. They say that twelve hours' 
work as a rule only produces a few grains of gold, 
save when the heavy floods are on. This is a most 
important navigation centre. There is little to attract 
the eye on either bank now for some time. One can 
hardly imagine a royal river like this becoming so dull 
and monotonous. Things brighten up a little before 
the boat reaches Komarom, Were it not for the 
islands in between, Komarom would be seen much 
earlier. One of these island enjoys a bit of history all 
to itself, and was named by reason of it. It is said 
that Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, first touched 
Hungarian soil here in 1857, consequently the island 
is named Elizabeth Island. Just before the boat 
reaches Komarom a stop is made for a moment at 
Uj-Szony. This is quite an important little junction. 
Everybody seemed busy except the railway officials, 
who were engaged in explaining the causes of late 
trains. One never expects a steamboat to keep good 
time, for everybody seems to work against it. 
Komarom, with its 20,000 souls, stands out with a 
certain hauteur of character. I gathered that this 
arose from its fortified position. It seemed to say, 
" Express your love but not your hate here." Experts 
told me that the fortress is one of the most formidable 
in Hungary. The great fort is humorously fortified, 
or surrounded by fortifications. These originated in 



286 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

the sixteenth century. So impregnable were the 
fortifications in the past that it was assailed in vain, 
and earned for itself the name of " Virgin Komarom." 
Even during the struggle for liberty in 1848 it was 
the last to abandon the contest, being heroically 
defended by General Klapka. Here stands to-day a 
fine monument to the General by Joseph Rona. On 
both banks of the Danube now for some way marble 
quarries may be found. Before reaching the next 
large town, Esztergom, some idea of Hungary's mineral 
wealth may be gauged. Stone quarries, coal mines, 
cement works, thermal springs, all more or less huddled 
up closely together, as if dependent one upon the other. 
But it is only churches and monuments that the 
ordinary visitor is out for to see. The things that 
make for national greatness and well-being lie too deep 
below the surface for the " tripper." 

Esztergom is interesting. Rising some 21 5 feet 
above the Danube is a hill upon which stands in the 
form of a Basilica a memorial of the town's past and 
present ecclesiastical glory. It is in the Italian 
Renaissance style, and by reason of its exalted 
position particularly imposing. It is said that 
churches are all alike. Here is one that is an 
exception. The building was commenced in 1820, 
when Rudnay was Primate of Hungary, consecrated 
by Scitovszky in 1856, and completed by Simor. 
The dome is 260 feet high, and the nave 350 feet 
long. Of paintings of note the church has few. 
There are three large altarpieces by Grigoletti, the 
others deserve no special mention. Some of the 
statues are good, notably Canova's " Ambrosius 
Charles," with others by Schrott, Ferenczy, and Strobl. 
On no account must one miss visiting the Bakacs 



THE DANUBE 287 

Chapel. So few things of this order of merit exist 
in Hungary, that it would be a sin to miss it. The 
artistic merit of the chapel is exceptionable. There 
is an altar there in white marble, the work of Andrea 
Ferrucci ; whilst in the west end, at the back of 
the big altar, other priceless treasures may be found. 
There is a marvellous Cloisonne enamel, " The Kiss 
of Peace " ; a twelfth-century cross used for coro- 
nation purposes, and beside it the Apostolic Cross, a 
rich example of Renaissance jewellery. But the 
great thing for lovers of church ornaments to see is 
the wonderful " Calvary of Matthias Corvinus." It 
is rich in its Renaissance splendour, and adorned 
with 213 Oriental pearls. Right at the base of the 
hill, beside the pretty little church of St. Anne, 
stands the palace of the Primate. It is a modern 
building, but extremely beautiful, whilst it contains 
one of the finest collections of paintings in Hungary. 
There one may find Giotto, Ghirlandajo, Botticelli, 
Guido Reni, Caracci, and Palnezaro, A speciality has 
been made of engravings, and the collection at 
Esztergom contains rich examples of the art of 
Dlirer, Rembrandt, Leyden, and Van Dyck. One 
may spend a long summer's day amongst the 
churches of Esztergom. The bulk of the journey 
to Budapest has now been covered, and echoes of the 
larger life of the country already reach attentive souls. 
The boat stops more often now. At Nagy-Maros 
and at Visegrad. Both are tourist centres for the 
summer crowds. The latter has some picturesque 
ruins. As early as the eleventh century a castle stood 
here which was occupied by the Hungarian kings, 
and upon which the art and genius of Matthias 
Corvinus was lavished. It was disfigured and 



2 88 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

practically destroyed by the Turks, and Leopold 
added to its decease by dismantling the fortifications. 
To-day only Solomon's Tower stands to remind one 
of the distant past of Visegrad. At Vacz one finds 
quite a nice little town. And amongst other distinc- 
tions an episcopal see. At the far end of the town 
stands a triumphal arch commemorating the entry 
of Maria Theresa. The sounds of a great city and 
its commercial strife grow louder and louder. Now 
the Budapest Waterworks is passed, Aquincum, Old 
Buda, Margaret Island, and then one is landed in the 
very heart of the city and beside all the best hotels. 
Thus about 167 miles has been covered in thirteen 
hours. Only the towns are interesting en route, but 
the journey to Orsova has no big towns, and the 
beauty is only found in the lower reaches of the 
Danube. Part of the trip, that from Bazias to .Orsova, 
is really great. I have taken the boats of the 
Magyar Folyam es Tengerhajozasi Reszveny 
Tarsasag at all seasons of the year, and seen the 
view under all kinds of climatic conditions, but it 
has always been grand. After meandering along the 
busy wharves, where in summer swarthy Magyars in 
an artistic variety of knickerbockers and shirts carry 
to and fro the merchandise for Vienna or the Black 
Sea, one finally escapes civilisation again, and with 
few regrets. The last thing that remains in one's 
memory is not the palaces of Budapest, but those 
bronzed lightermen, those athletic-looking dockers. 
Artists simply rave over the blue and reds of their 
home-made garments. The dead speaks in its own 
way, but we carry thoughts of the living with us. 
We pass by unheeded almost Budafok with its 
champagne reputation, and J&rd with its page in 



THE DANUBE 289 

Turkish history. Even Ercsi and Adony fail to ehcit 
surprise or kindle excitement, when it is known that 
in one a great poet-statesman lies buried, and in the 
other a Hungarian traitor general allowed a Hungarian 
Imperialistic partisan to be executed. It takes more 
to attract people to-day. The world is rapidly grow- 
ing blase. Quite a dozen small places are thus hit 
off. One celebrated for its wheat, another for its 
archbishop, and a third for its wine. I remember 
the wine, and the traveller in Hungary must try some 
of the famous Szegszard red wine. The climatic 
conditions all favour good wine. A usually long 
but mild winter, with few spring frosts, little hail, 
and in summer a regular tropical heat. Try the 
genuine Szegszard wine when you visit Hungary, and 
you will find it smooth, aromatic, a trifle dry, but 
most agreeable. The Lengyel estate owned by 
Count Alexander Apponyi also produces some 
excellent red wine. But one must not tarry too 
long over the wine-cup, for there is Baja to see, 
and after Baja comes Mohacs. Here the destiny of 
Hungary was twice decided, or at least influenced. 
Poor Louis II. but 160 years after this defeat was 
wiped out by Charles of Lorraine. After leaving 
Mohacs the scenery bestirs itself a little, and on 
leaving Palanka, with its famous Franciscan convent, 
Futtak discloses a remarkably beautiful panorama. 
This suffices until Ujvidek is reached. There is an 
air of massiveness about this compact town. Its ten 
churches reflect the strength of Greek-Catholicism. 
This is also the land of corn and wine. Ujvidek is 
essentially one of those places to be seen from a 
distance. Taken as read, so to speak. Opposite is 
the small town of Petervarad, with its large prison. 
19 



290 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

One more important little town, Karlocza, the seat of 
the Servian Patriarch, and Zimony is reached. The 
shadow of history still hangs over Karlocza, for peace 
was concluded here with the Turks in 1699. Each 
town and hamlet has its atmosphere. Zimony on 
the right bank of the Danube is the Hungarian- 
Servian frontier town. Zimony always interests me. 
Perhaps it is because of its nearness to Servia. How 
often have I gazed across at the " White City of the 
Hill," so replete with tragedy, noting every line of its 
grim old fortifications. In every Slav race there is 
colour. Here one may feel it, for the separating 
river does not destroy its power. It is a new page 
of history that one turns over. Belgrad makes a 
distant appeal, and you always want to discover what 
this is. Other steamboats, however, convey you to 
and from the Servian capital every tv/o hours. Show 
your passport, and away you may go. It is early 
morn when the boat leaves Zimony for Orsova. 
Everything interests now, history being the medium. 
The landscape now flat, now rugged ; now blooming 
with its fertility, now barren and sterile. Variation 
satisfies. At Pancsova the navigable Tenies falls 
into the Danube, which is now about two kilo- 
metres wide. On the opposite bank stands Semendria. 
The last time that I visited this place was with the 
Hungarian and Servian journalists, I shall never 
forget the speeches and the grapes. The place wears 
a sad, regretful look. Its ruined old fortress eloquently 
attests the old-time Turkish occupation. The eye 
has much to take in, and rapidly. Now comes 
Kubin, and " Nobody's Island." J6kai has im- 
mortalised this island in his novel The Gold Man. 
Fishing and the production of caviar is what the 



THE DANUBE 291 

inhabitants live from. One is contented with all 
this until Bazias is reached, for here begin the great 
natural attractions of the Danube. Many people 
travel by rail from Budapest to Bazias in order to save 
time, and it is much wiser for those to do so whose 
holiday is limited. At the railway restaurant one 
may sleep for a few hours, but not in luxurious rooms. 
Years ago the part from Bazias to Sip on the Servian 
bank was unnavigable for boats drawing much water. 
Thanks, however, to Count Stephen Szechenyi, a 
navigation scheme was initiated, but which, owing to 
certain financial and technical difficulties, had un- 
fortunately to be postponed for a time. Cataracts 
were numerous, and huge blocks of rocks rendered 
the passage extremely dangerous and difficult. Later 
new plans were designed, and as late as 1883 a 
National Commission sat to investigate the possibilities 
of carrying out the idea mooted by Szechenyi. 
Baross, Hungary's great Minister of Commerce, then 
some ten years after commenced the work, which has 
conferred a great benefit to commerce and tourists. 
Cataracts simply abounded. The Stenka Cataract 
was first controlled, but not before some 18,000 
cubic metres of solid rock had been removed from 
the river-bed. Another deep channel was dug at 
Kozla-Dajke, Izlas-Tachtalia, and a dam was con- 
structed from the Greben to Milanovac. This was 
a giant enterprise, in which nearly 500,000 cubic 
metres of stone were used. But the most dangerous 
piece of work was the cataract formed by a chain of 
rocks which constituted a link between the Carpathians 
and the Balkans. Here was excavated a channel 
"enclosed by dams, 1720 metres long, 75 metres 
wide, and 3 metres deep." The value of all this is 



292 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

clearly seen in the fact that formerly boats drawing 
1 8 decimetres of water only travelled between Orsova 
and Turn - Severin for 9 1 days during the season. 
Now 271 days are possible. In 1896 this marvellous 
canal, called the " Iron Gates/' was opened for traffic 
in the presence of Emperor-King Francis Joseph and 
the Kings of Roumania and Servia. The cost of the 
work was some 31,000,000 crowns. On the Hun- 
garian bank is fixed a tablet bearing these words : — 

AZ ALDUNAI VASKAPUNAK ES A TOBBI ZUHATAGNAK 

AZ 1888. EVI XXVI. T.-CZ. ALTAL ELRENDELT SZABA- 

LYOZASA MEGKEZDETETT 

I. FERENCZ J6ZSEF 
URALKODASA ALATT 

gr6f SZAPARY GYULA 
MINISTERELNOK IDEJEBEN 

BELLUSI BAROSS GABOR 
KERESKEDELEMUGYI MINISTER ALTAL 

1890. EVI SZEPTEMBER 15-EN. 

ISTEN ALDASA LEGYEN E MUVON ES MEGALKOT6IN ! 

(The work of regulating the Iron Gate and the other 
Danube rapids, decreed by Act XXVI. of 1888, was 
begun on September 15, 1890, by Gabriel Baross de 
Bellus, Minister of Commerce, during the reign of 
Francis Joseph I., Julius Szapary being Prime Minister. 
May the blessing of God rest on this work and its 
creators !) Such is the history of the Kazan Pass 
in its modern form. Bazias, however, is nearly three 
hours' ride to Kazan, and Moldova, Galambocz, 
Drenkova, and Szvinicza must be passed ere the 
famous defile is entered. All these places have their 
own unique history or legend. Moldova has its copper 
mines to boast of, whilst just below Moldova a huge 



THE DANUBE 293 

rock seems to rear its head from the middle of the 
stream with a strange menace. It is the Babakaj rock. 
Tradition tells of the elopement of a young Magyar 
with a beautiful Turkish woman, once the queen of a 
harem. Ill-fortune attended the adventure, for the 
youth was captured, after a gallant swim across the 
Danube, and beheaded. As a reward the maiden 
was banished to the Babakaj rock, and forced to wear 
the head of her lover as a neck ornament, and to 
remind her of the folly of her act. Some say that 
she was starved to death here by her revengeful 
husband. Lovers of all nationalities are pointed out 
this rock and told its legend, but nothing will deter man 
or woman from risking all for those whom they love. 

I was told the story of the bravery of Stephen 
Rozgonyi and his wife at Galambocz, who saved from 
capture King Zsigmond. There is a cavern also here, 
famous for its flies, which carry poison with them 
everywhere. In summer the poor cattle are said to 
succumb from the stings of these swamp-bred insects. 

But it is the Kazan Pass that all travellers come 
so far to see. One advances towards it with a sense 
of thrill. Wild, recriminating rocks on either side, 
light and shade varying at every turn of the wheel, all 
eyes fixed, all wrapped in silence. The very grandeur 
of the situation compels all this. The past again 
appeals. Ordinary things are forgotten, and one feels 
that here the great of past ages have tramped. It is 
more than beautiful, it is grand. On one side is the 
famous Trajan road, and an inscription dating back 
to the reign of the great Trajan (loi A.D.) marks the 
place where a road was built by hewing into the solid 
rock, during one of his great campaigns against the 
Dacians. Rub up your Latin, and read : — 



294 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

IMP. CAESAR. DIVI NERVAE F. 

NERVA TRAJANUS AUG. GERM. 

PONTIFEX MAXIMUS TRIE. POTI IIII. 

PATER, PATRIAE COS IIII. 

MONTIS . . L . . HAN .... BUS 

SUP . . AT E 

It is a feast of memory. The past is made to re-live. 
Even Szechenyi and his own marvellous road is 
forgotten for a moment. It is small wonder that 
Hungarians rave about this most beautiful of passes. 
The scenery awes one. One feels like stopping to 
worship amid such surroundings. The grand, great 
past blots out the present, and inspires. A little 
cavern on the left bank of the river recalls again the 
struggles against the Turks. It is said that here 
some 700 soldiers kept 3000 Turks at bay for forty-five 
days in 1692. The place reeks with memories, and, 
despite its solemn silence, one feels close to activity. 
This is one of the contributions history makes to 
feeling. But the long ride is almost over. Even the 
red wine of Szegszard has now lost its strength, and 
is almost forgotten and obliterated by the old-time 
feeling the Kasan Pass engendered. White Belgrad 
is now only a fading memory. One is conscious 
that the enduring feature of the trip is the Pass, and 
nothing but the Pass. 

Orsova, however, has not been reached, and though 
luggage is being huddled together in the gangways, 
and heavy coats and rugs collected, there is still 
something to see. Orsova itself demands attention. 
I remember being hurried by an excited young 
Hungarian friend to a little chapel not far distant from 
the landing-stage, which bears the name of the Crown 
Chapel. It appears that Bertalan Szemere, after the 
sad Vildgos result, buried near here the Hungarian 



THE DANUBE 295 

crown and insignia. Many have attributed this act 
to Louis Kossuth himself. Probably one of Szemere's 
three confederates betrayed the secret of its hiding- 
place, for in some way the crown and jewels were 
found, and carried to Vienna by a special man-of-war. 
I spent several days at Orsova, but only two other 
things created any special interest. One was its 
nearness to Roumanian territory, for I wanted to see 
something of the ways of the people just over the 
frontier. The other was that romantic little Danube 
island called Ada-Kaleh. Once this queer, quaint- 
looking little spot enjoyed fame. After the Peace of 
Passarowitz (17 18) Charles III. fortified the place, the 
remains of which may be seen to this day. Some 
twenty-one years later the island fell into the hands of 
the Turks, and though, after a long siege, Joseph II. 
regained it, the Peace of Sistor (1790) saw it again 
held by the enemies of Hungary. By the provisions 
of the Berlin Treaty, the Turkish garrison was with- 
drawn, and soldiers of the Dual Monarchy posted 
there in defence. There is something of an anomaly 
about its position. Passing over to it in a little 
rowing boat one day, I was fortunate in witnessing 
a strange event. It was the departure of a batch of 
Turks. The episode appealed to me. Such a queer- 
looking little place it is, and so Turkish in spirit. 
The larger questions of Hungarian politics have not 
disturbed its Mohammedan serenity since 1878, and 
the entire spirit of its peoples has remained Oriental. 
It is strange that no Magyar impress is visible, 
and it speaks well for Hungarian toleration that 
the residents of this island have in no way been 
disturbed by legislative changes. Even to this day 
they are exempted from taxation and military service. 



296 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Wandering as I did amongst its fascinating walks, 
gazing at the depressed crowd in " robes and fez," 
it seemed almost impossible to be so far West as 
I really was. Quietly and orderly this Oriental crowd 
manages to eke out a living by cultivating tobacco, 
wine, and roses, together with a not inconsiderable 
fishing trade. The first time I visited the island I 
saw it under exceptional circumstances. It was 
swathed in sadness, for sixteen poor families were 
leaving for a new home. Altogether some eighty 
souls represented these families, who left for Galatz 
by boat. Their new home was to be across the 
Bosphorus, where the Sultan was founding a new 
colony. Here a large tract of good land had been 
placed at their disposal ; one pair of oxen, and one 
plough, together with exemption from taxation for 
seven years. Such was the Sultan's gift to each head 
of a family. Now only some 500 Turks are left on 
the island, and it is feared that even further encroach- 
ments will be made upon this number. Soon one 
fears this historic island will need repeopling, but 
doubtless with a less picturesque race than its present 
occupants. What will happen with the exodus of the 
Turks one cannot exactly foresee, but it is hoped that 
something will be done to prevent such a calamity 
of romance. These are the compensating spots of 
which Hungary is scant. It would be a pity to 
destroy the peacefulness which the present occupation 
has developed. These oases ought to be preserved, 
if only for the benefit of the visitor. Modern places 
and institutions have their place, even Western civilisa- 
tion has its values, but to destroy the past and the 
Eastern in this the nearest of the Near East would be 
an act of vandalism indeed. 



CHAPTER XVIII 
AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE 

' ' Here is the land, 
Shaggy with wood, 
With its old valley, 
Mound, and flood." 

WE are all agriculturalists. This is as trite, or as 
true, as saying, "We are all Socialists now." 
The strength and wealth of Hungary lies in the 
land. Ruskin was perfectly right when he said, 
" Neither the avarice nor the rage of men will ever 
feed them." In Hungary one is continually being 
asked by the inquiring visitor about the staple industry 
of the land. On what does the country depend ? The 
obvious answer to-day is, Its agriculture. If you ask 
me what is the commercial ambition of Hungary, I 
am forced to answer that it is industrial. But the 
fact remains, Hungary is an agricultural country. In 
this fact lies much of its interest and the whole of its 
strength. Hungary is handicapped, however, by one 
grave defect, or perhaps it is better to say one urgent 
need — business capacity. The handling of things 
earthly, the participating in such mundane affairs as 
sale and barter, was, and is even to-day, alas ! too, 
far from the mind of the Hungarian youth when he 
is determining upon a vocation. Hungary is con- 



298 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

sequently full of men with a doctor's degree, who seek 
the more gilded avenues provided by the ministeriums, 
with its less lucrative livelihood. Therefore, where the 
need is less the market is glutted with labour, whilst 
in the larger fields of enterprise men of education and 
position are really needed. This habit of mind gave 
the Jews their great opportunity, and what of trade 
or commerce exists to-day in Hungary is practically 
a result of their patience and perseverance. The 
time will come when this state of affairs will need 
correction. It is bad policy on the part of the tissta 
Magyar to allow these avenues of power to remain 
uncontrolled. In a measure something is done by 
State intervention, but even this excellent work per- 
formed by the various Ministers of Agriculture and 
their excellent assistants does not fully cover the 
need, I think. It will be a happy day for Hungary 
when its youth graduates not in law, but in agriculture ; 
when it is not thought an inferior occupation, and not 
the work of a gentleman. In such matters we are less 
aristocratic in England. 

To all agricultural countries the measure of Hungary's 
State interference must be of great interest. Much 
of this State aid is due to the energy and genius of 
one man — Dr. Daranyi. He is enthused by the very 
romance of agriculture, and the individual enthusiasm 
results in national well-being. The State has and is 
doing excellent work in all branches of agriculture, 
viticulture, horticulture, sericulture, and pisciculture. 
But it does more, it interests itself in bee-keeping, 
veterinary administration, horse breeding, forestry, and 
a host of other excellent experiments are always being 
undertaken. Thanks to Dr. Daranyi, a new spirit has 
come over agriculture. It is perfectly clear, then, that 



AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE 299 

Hungary with its great governmental agricultural 
policy, and the large class of farmers who have 
always been independent of such aid, is justly styled 
not industrial but agricultural. How far, then, has the 
State succeeded in its policy of intervention ? In 
what direction has it worked ? Farming in all its 
branches has been touched by the State, and Govern- 
ment papers tell their own story of failure and success. 
The mere question of the advisability of State inter- 
ference is not for me to discuss, it is rather my business 
to present a picture of what has been accomplished and 
the lines the productive capacity of the country is 
now taking. It is not mine even to discuss the dis- 
tribution of the land. It may be that genuine land 
hunger exists, that conditions are against the small 
peasant proprietors, that the Church and the Magnates 
swallow up not merely the bulk of the agricultural 
land, but the best of it. Time and an extended 
franchise will doubtless change much in this direction. 
The root of all political dissension in England is the 
land, and in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales the same 
thing is true. Therefore it may be that political 
discontent on one hand, and agricultural limitation 
on the other, may have their source in a common evil. 
The redistribution of seats is much easier than a re- 
distribution of land. Simply regarding conditions as 
they are with no thoughts of equality or inequality, 
one naturally asks in which direction lies the productive 
capacity of agricultural Hungary. Let it not be 
forgotten that four-fifths of the soil produce maize 
and grapes. Really great climatic extremes are not 
encountered, owing to the situation of Hungary. The 
noble Carpathians act as a breakwater, in the north 
dispersing the cold winds, whilst in the south the 



300 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

hotter currents are deftly steered into the Alfold. In 
certain districts the weather is most tantalising, 
particularly on the plains, where drought and flood 
alternate. Here one sees a kind of hardiness alike 
in what is produced and those who labour to produce 
it. The " unfit " stand a poor chance in Hungary. 

It was pleasing to note the increase in wheat grow- 
ing. Both England and America can give Hungary 
points in this direction, though no better flour is pro- 
duced than by the Hungarian roller process. With 
half the land sown with cereals a good show is made. 
The strength of State intervention appears to have 
been spent in other directions. Cattle breeding and 
viticulture answer for much of this. Seed distribution, 
however, goes on. Take, for instance, the cultivation 
of potatoes. In England good seed is cheap and 
plentiful, and most men with a garden are experts. 
Prior to 1901 it was not so with Hungary. In that 
year the Minister of Agriculture made arrangements 
with three large farms in Bars, Nyitra, and Szepes, 
to grow special kinds of potatoes, from seeds provided 
by the Minister. These potatoes for seed purposes 
were distributed the following year to smaller farms 
owned by the lesser clergy and schoolmasters, on con- 
dition that the next year the process of handing over 
should go on, and the smaller farmers benefit. In this 
manner the seed was distributed until it covered all 
the cultivable areas. Hence potatoes are good, but 
few know how to cook them properly. Attention is 
also specially paid to the cultivation of barley for 
malting purposes. The State started by using the 
farmers' clubs as a medium of distribution. Then 
special barley fairs were encouraged, and finally co- 
operative societies were formed for its production and 



AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE 301 

distribution. Cultivation was taught, and the best 
seed provided at cost price. The State railways 
also aided the development of barley by making 
special rates for its transit to Fiume for export. 

Experiments in hemp cultivation have not been 
altogether encouraging. In this department also 
enlightenment was necessary, and particularly in 
those districts inhabited by the nationalities. The 
State has had to occupy the position of a great teacher 
as well as a great helper. Away in the past agriculture 
was hampered by the continuous wars, by lack of 
labour, and undeveloped means of communication. 
Strife over, these evils have in a large measure been 
remedied, but incompetence and ignorance were the 
hardest elements to dethrone. Considerable attention 
has been devoted to hemp and flax cultivation 
Artificial hemp-damping stations were started, buying 
halls opened, depots for buying and preparing the 
flax instituted, and all interest focused upon those 
areas where both the land and the people evinced 
special aptitude for progress. 

Hop growing is another aided industry. Hungary 
is scarcely able to supply more than one-half of the 
home demand. Here again a similar process of 
distribution is observed. If the visitor would see 
what Hungary has done in this direction, he must go 
down to Segesvar, in Transylvania. The cultivation 
of tobacco has perhaps been one of the most en- 
couraging, spirit-distilling being another. In 1896 
the Minister of Agriculture decided as far as possible 
to establish model peasant farms in each county. In 
the first six years 82 were started. The area of 
the model peasant farms varies according to local 
circumstances, the average arable land being between 



302 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

eight-and-thirty holds (about twelve holds to forty-five 
acres). Help of all kinds is given, such as agricultural 
machines, cattle for breeding, seedlings, seeds, and 
sometimes means for the improvement of farm 
buildings ; but the whole amount or value must not 
exceed ;^8o. Added to this the farmer is supposed 
to lend his implements to a fellow-farmer whenever 
possible. 

In the realm of statistics the Ministry of Agriculture 
excels. To-day it must have nearly 2000 corre- 
spondents who collect every imaginable form of 
agricultural data. For instance, a correspondent 
notifies the presence of a pest in a certain district, 
means are instantly instituted then for its abolition. 
By such means also a forecast of harvest is easily 
attainable. The Department publishes every ten days 
during the summer the reports of the various corre- 
spondents on all subjects of vital interest. " And when 
all the crops are gathered at the end of October, the 
correspondents draw up, on the basis of the known 
data, a final valuation of the produce of the agricultural 
year. These reports are summarised by the Central 
Statistical Office for districts and counties, and then 
published. In 1900 the Hungarian Government 
made an agreement with the Government of the 
United States of America to exchange their reports 
on the condition of the crops in the summer months 
by telegram." It is clear even to the casual observer 
that agriculture is the nation's staple industry. 

Naturally one who is at all socially or economically 
minded turns and says, " What is the condition of the 
worker amidst such an elaborate scheme of administra- 
tion ? " It is too often true that the agricultural 
labourer is the last man thought of by nations in their 




A FARMHOUSE NEAR PECS, TRANS-DANUBIAN HUNGARY 



AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE 303 

desire for progress. Man, like politics, is too often 
taken for granted. Opinions are at variance both 
in Hungary and without concerning the conditions 
of life and labour on the farm. Even legislation — 
recent legislation — has been variously apprehended. 
The Socialists aver that a system bordering upon 
feudal service exists, whilst the landed gentry repudiate 
it. Doubtless there are exaggerations on both sides, 
but it must not be lost sight of that Hungary is only 
just awakening to the trumpet call of modern Western 
civilisation, and old systems are not destroyed in a 
single campaign, neither does truth and right always 
seize hold of the complete man all at once. In 
England some reforms were frightfully slow in coming, 
particularly those touching the land and the labourer. 
Things are therefore in Hungary not as bad as they 
say they are, and not as good as they ought to be. 
Wages, though on the rise, have not yet reached the 
contented standard. The enormous exodus to 
America has in a measure influenced the movement 
towards betterment, for a demand has been created. 
In 1902, for instance, labourers received a shilling a 
day in the spring of the year, about one and threepence 
in summer, twopence less in autumn, and ninepence 
during the winter months. These amounts represent 
more than they do in England. It is always a mystery 
how the poor live. 

In viticulture the giant struggle has been against 
phylloxera. It was a terrible battle ; and not until the 
best vineyards at the Balaton, on the hills of M^nes, 
and Tokaj, to say nothing of Eger, Szegszard, and 
Villany, had been destroyed, did the country really 
awaken. In the districts mentioned misery and 
poverty flourished after the destruction of the vineyards, 



304 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

and the pacification of this led perhaps more than 
anything else to a recognition of the value of viticulture 
both for the State and the people. Altogether 5 5 per 
cent, of the vine-producing parishes were practically- 
infected. The State first of all set to work to preserve 
those districts which had escaped destruction, then 
followed the planting of new vineyards. It was 
a slow, giant task, and the State were perhaps 
better fitted than private enterprise to accomplish 
such a task. Everything was done, experiment 
followed experiment, until success dawned. Look at 
this picture ! The extent of vineyards before the 
advent of phylloxera was 622,488 holds; of the 
number up to 1902, some 444,333 holds were 
destroyed. But, taking together all the new vineyards 
and those reconstructed, together with those which 
escaped destruction, the extent is now (1903) 428,277 
holds, or only 1 94,2 1 1 less than the original figure. 
Here is another example of the marvellous recuperative 
qualities of the nation. Schools and lecture courses, 
together with special courses for cellar masters, 
illustrate the educational work done in connection 
with viticulture. 

Turn for a moment to horticulture. I was simply 
amazed when I visited the Agricultural Museum, to find 
such a grand native horticultural display. Strangely 
enough, a decade ago, in spite of the fact that nearly 
every part of the country is suitable for fruit cultivation, 
and that many of them produce fruits of the richest 
flavour, the import of fruit was almost as large as the 
export. To remedy this a special section was created. 
The country was deficient in fruit trees. In 1896 
there were only some 60,000,000 fruit trees in the 
country, and half of these were plum trees, of which 



AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE 305 

only a miserable fraction were of good quality. The 
aim then was to increase the number of fruit trees by 
the multiple ten. In 1899 the Government gave a 
large number of farmers nearly 100,000 young trees 
quite free. The State orchards also supply an 
enormous number of seedlings, either quite free or 
at a reduced price every year. For example, in 1900 
they supplied more than 950,000 apple seedlings, 
391,000 pear, 163,000 plum, 81,000 cherry, 92,000 
peach, and 229,000 mulberry trees. Not content with 
such provision, the horticultural training is remarkably 
complete. A modern orchard farm near Budapest is 
well worth an hour's study. The Hungarian clergy 
have rendered signal service to horticulture. Winter 
courses were arranged, and continued. Papers and 
pamphlets also do their own work. One of these, 
Ter^iieljilnk gyilmdlcsbt (Let us grow fruit !) is published 
in Magyar, Slavonian, Ruthenian, German, Servian, and 
Roumanian. Here, again, the State had to come in 
and act as the great educator. The people had not 
merely to be taught how to cultivate and produce, but 
how to trade. Local fruit shows were arranged, and 
from these international participation was stimulated ; 
co-operative marketing societies sprang into existence, 
and finally came the production of fruit baskets. After 
having read the fluctuating but thrilling history of the 
nation, and divined somewhat of the character and 
disposition of the Magyar race, it is not difficult to 
discover the need of all such aid as the State rendered. 
The Continental system of packing had to be mastered 
ere any attempt at competition was mooted. There 
is this much to be said, the State has more patience, 
and as a rule is more thorough, than a private 
individual. Had it not been so, Hungary could never 
20 



3o6 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

have made the advance in agriculture that she 
has. 

The things that interest most visitors to Hungary, 
whether it is in the form of a deputation like 
the Essex farmers, or the Eighty Club, are cattle- 
breeding, dairy farming, and horse breeding. In the 
past the breeding of cattle was a leading occupation, 
partly I suppose because the primitive people had few 
wants, and these needs, owing to inadequate means of 
transit, had to be produced ; partly because in those 
warlike times farmers with such movable property as 
cattle could the more easily flee before an invading 
army. To-day the importance of cattle breeding 
increases daily. A great change, however, came over 
the nation about the middle of the eighteenth century. 
Both Maria Theresa and Joseph il. did much to 
stimulate sheep breeding, first by importing Paduan 
sheep, and then Merino sheep. These Merino sheep 
were divided into three classes in Hungary. There 
was the superior, small-bodied Electoral (fine, superior 
wool), and then the Infantado-Negretti breed, v/hich 
derives its character from its good abundant wool and 
massive bodies. From these two the Electoral-Negretti 
type was developed, and wonderful cloth wool was the 
result. In 1903 the Exchequer expended more than 
two million crowns to promote cattle, swine, sheep, and 
poultry breeding. The old pig markets were very 
distant, and it must have been a tiresome, tedious journey. 
Servia then as now was a great swine producer and 
competitor. The fattened pig trade of Servia had two 
routes. One took the right bank of the Danube, the 
other the left ; i.e,, from Orsova through Budapest to 
Gyor, which was in the old days the centre of the 
Hungarian swine trade. A drove of pigs, fattened on 



AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE 307 

the way, thus reached Gyor market in about 130 
days. Those old methods won't do to-day. Some 
of the pigs I have seen looked as if it had taken all 
that time to fatten them. 

Poultry farming is another feature extensively pro- 
moted. I visited the farm at Godollo, on the King's 
estate. It was a revelation. Here was organised a 
school for educating farm labourers in poultry farming, 
and the men were wonderfully well equipped in all 
branches. Even in poultry the system of distribution 
appertains. Its development is perceived in the rapid 
rise in exports. In 1 900 the exports stood for poultry 
and its products at 72 million crowns, an increase of 
80 per cent, in five years. The butter and milk 
industry is also making great progress. In the last 
seven years ending in 1902 the increase of the net 
export was more than ten million crowns, derived 
chiefly from the extraordinary development of the 
butter industry. Bee-keeping was carried on in the 
old days, days prior to State aid, but through the medium 
of the Ministry of Agriculture it has reached its 
zenith almost. The State bee farm at Godollo was 
opened in 1902, and the interest increased yearly. 
Less emphasis is placed upon apiculture than sericulture. 
Here quite a story can be told. The first attempts 
at sericulture carry one to the period between 17 17 
and 1832. One of the first of the nobles to seriously 
interest himself in this art was Count Claudius Mercy, 
who in 1734 died a hero's death at Crocetta. Mercy 
laboured hard on the Banat to found this industry, 
whilst his daughter did the same for Tolna. No one 
seemed to interest themselves in the work when Mercy 
died, but fortunately traces of his efforts were not all 
destroyed. Directly Count Stephen Szechenyi com- 



3o8 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

menced his commercial activities he caught up some 
of these traces, and in Sopron county began to work. 
At the same time another prominent Hungarian seemed 
imbued with the same idea, and the period saw Stephen 
Bezeredy energetic in Hidja. He it was who in the 
south called into new life the silk industry. It was 
owing to his activity and influence that the huge mulberry 
plantations were commenced. All this was pioneer work 
of great value, but which demanded not only infinite 
capacity, but infinite patience. The Magyar easily 
tires. Thanks to the son of Stephen Bezeredy, the 
excellent work begun was not allowed to die out. One 
important feature of sericulture in Hungary is that it 
provides the poorer section of the population, without 
any outlay, and by using the weaker elements of the 
family (women, old men, and children), with consider- 
able benefit just before harvest, that period in agriculture 
when much need is experienced amongst the poor. 
Another stimulant to sericulture lies in the fact that 
Hungary absorbs annually some 50 million crowns' 
worth of silk merchandise, which is paid to foreign 
countries. The aim, then, is to direct this huge expendi- 
ture into home channels. Even to one not absolutely 
an expert on such matters this seems possible, seeing 
that the Hungarian raw silk is capable of producing the 
essential refined manufactured material ; and further, 
that the population has the ability to undertake such 
work. To secure this end distribution and education upon 
a large scale has been introduced. Up to date 2254 
kilos of seed {i.e. silk worm eggs) have been distributed 
gratuitously to rearers. During the past twenty-six 
years the Government has distributed 77,976,055 mul- 
berry trees, two to three years old, to agrarian schools, 
or for hedging, 4,874,294 mulberry trees full grown. 



AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE 309 

I find there is a law which enacts that in all counties 
or areas suitable for sericulture unoccupied land and 
the sides of all the roads shall be planted with mulberry 
trees. Over 500,000 pamphlets on sericulture have 
been distributed, and free lectures were delivered 
annually in 1 300 districts. This industry has so 
developed that now a lecture can only be given every 
second year, for 3000 districts are engaged in silk 
cultivation. Another point. The Government under- 
takes to purchase all the cocoons produced. This in 
itself is a great incentive. Recognising ability to work 
in filatures, the Government immediately set to work 
to arrange that the cocoons should not leave Hungary 
for reeling purposes. This further ensured a better 
advertisement for Hungarian silk. Some seven or 
eight filatures exist, the bulk of which are leased to 
foreign and private firms. Such enjoy special privileges. 
One is only just beginning to hear people speak of 
Hungarian silk. What is the quality of it? The 
special qualities of Hungarian silk are colour, brilliancy, 
and fibre, as well as a remarkable elasticity and flexibility, 
which render it peculiarly amenable for weaving in its 
raw state. These qualities apparently arise from the 
leaves of ungrafted trees, imparting, as they do, better 
feeding properties to the silkworm. Another factor is 
the pure European seed that is used. The Hungarians 
employed in this branch of industry are mostly from 
the families of the small trading classes. And the 
wages are the same as in Italy, and less than in 
France. This little survey I am sure will interest 
many. But what of pisciculture ? How things change ! 
At one time the carts of the Tisza fishermen stood in 
the Budapest fish market, and one could buy a kettle 
of fish for a few pence. Not so to-day. It sounds 



3IO HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

something like a fable if, when listening to one of the 
fisher worthies of Szegvar, or Hodmezo-Vasarhely, he 
tells of having stationed himself in the slough armed 
with hook or spear and caught the big fish as they 
returned to the Tisza from spawning. Until the first 
half of the last century Hungary abounded in fish, 
more than sixty different species existing. Fishing 
was then a profitable business, and was cheap as food. 
Then came the great water regulations, reclamations 
from flood, and the drying up of ponds. These 
restricted the natural increase of fish. After 1888 
this began to be remedied, and trout breeding and 
pond farming was undertaken by the State, and has 
proceeded with much success. 

Another prominent feature of State aid is in con- 
nection with horse breeding. Here was something in 
which at least the Magyar of the plains might revel. 
He was at home in this business. State studs sprang 
up everywhere. At Kisber one finds English horses, 
whilst at Babolna the Arabian. Mezohegyes — which 
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting — breeds are crossed with 
the English, thus producing a particular half-breed 
suitable to Hungarian requirements. Away towards 
the Roumanian frontier at Fogaras, horses are bred 
which meet the needs of the colder and harder 
climates. In all these studs the military department 
has more or less direct control on behalf of the 
Minister of Agriculture. From time to time full- 
bred English and Arabian horses are bought. In 
1898 the Government purchased the full-bred 
English stallion, Bona Vista, which cost the 
Hungarians nearly i^ 17,000 ; whilst in 1903 another 
stallion. Not Out, was secured for about ;^I200. The 
same principle of distribution and loan is employed, 



AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE 311 

whilst a good export trade goes on. In 1900 
nearly 60,000 fine horses were exported. Now 
Hungary is supplying Japan with a large number. 

The baffling variety of the industry employed by 
the Ministry of Agriculture is astounding. It is 
decidedly one of the most efficient and best 
equipped Government institutions in Europe. But it 
is not content with all this, and continually spreads 
out its long arm to aid new undertakings, and 
institute new ones of its own accord. The cultivation 
of rice, and sugar. This latter industry will soon 
develop into something powerful. In 1905 the 
value of the export was nearly ;^2,ooo,ooo. 
Independent of all this it runs four State Spas, or 
baths. Two of these I have tested thoroughly, and 
they cannot be very well beaten. Herculesfurdo and 
Vizakna enjoy quite a reputation of their own. The 
situation perfect, and their health-restoring merits are 
unparalleled. Excellent work in connection with 
these State Spas is done every year, by allowing a 
number of the State officials of small stipends and 
their families to free baths and bedrooms. 

Forestry in Hungary is a big business. Not a 
whit too early did Hungary realise that the forests 
supplied a large amount of raw material for the 
development of many other industries. One has 
only to travel through Transylvania to realise how 
wonderfully rich Hungary is in forests. So rich, 
indeed, that many were wantonly destroyed without 
any realisation of it. But on the general awakening 
to needs, as well as to possibilities, the question of 
forestry engaged the attention of the various Ministers 
of Agriculture. In what manner, then, did the State 
set to work to utilise its power ? It was no easy 



312 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

matter to tackle. Interest crowded in upon interest. 
These were private, political, and others arising from 
a variety of causes which defy definition. A per- 
manent fund was built up for purchasing purposes. 
This was absolutely essential. Then barren territories 
were planted. Some of this work was of the utmost 
value, for those engaged in river regulation were 
constantly exposed to dangers brought on by these 
exposed barren tracts. The distribution of seedlings 
goes on on a large scale. " The aim of State forestry 
is not only to manage and make valuable the forests 
under their management, but to help, where it is 
possible, while looking to its own business, other 
branches of agriculture also." These are the words 
of the present Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Daranyi. 
Timber export increased steadily up to 1900. Then 
followed a depression. German export decreased, 
owing, it is said, to the crisis in the building trades. 
Austria and France also called for much less than 
hitherto. Then a new market was found for pine in 
England, and South Africa was also regarded as a 
possible field. Thus in a measure rise balanced fall. 
In the direction of the Orient thoughts of any great 
increase of trade have practically been abandoned, 
Roumania and Bulgaria having entered into the 
arena as important competitive factors. 

In Hungary the system of colonisation still goes on. 
Two elements enter into consideration in the large 
question of colonisation — devastation and over- 
population. These have ever been the governing 
factors of the Hungarian State administrators. Down 
on the Lower Danube peoples were rendered homeless 
and landless by floods. These naturally had to be 
provided with a sphere for activity. There is also 



AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE 313 

the settlement of the Csangos, re-emigrated from 
Bukovina. At first the complaints attending colon- 
isation were so pronounced and numerous, that doubts 
of its success were entertained by not a few. The 
policy of land tenure was assailed. Difficulty largely 
vanished, however, with special and permanent Govern- 
ment control. The entire scheme of State aid is so 
enormous that one can only select for description — 
and even then only touch in passing — a few items. 
There is the question of veterinary administration, 
the control of the rivers, the means taken to develop 
the congested areas in the North-East Carpathians, 
and the way the Ministry of Agriculture has met the 
difficulties surrounding the economic conditions of 
the Szdklers. All these are in themselves intensely 
fascinating. 

Agriculture must needs go hand in hand with 
commerce, and it is by a skilful combination of these 
two State departments that the larger future of the 
country will be assured. If only the Ministry of 
Finance will develop the mineral wealth of the land, 
these two institutions will be materially strengthened. 
Commerce and industry are with agriculture on the 
move. In 1906, Hungary's foreign trade showed an 
increase of i 5 i million crowns. The three prominent 
articles of export are textile goods, corn, and cattle. 
One often hears about the desire of the Hungarians 
to open up trade on a large scale with England. 
Whilst some of this is really sincere, much of it is 
only airy talk. The business methods of the countries 
are so diverse, and the habits of the Hungarians tend 
towards slowness. One of the chief difficulties is that 
of credit. England is perhaps very conservative in 
business methods despite all her supremacy, and one 



314 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

IS assured that some change will have to come sooner 
or later. On the other hand, the inability of so many 
of the Hungarians to depart from the Oriental habit 
of reckoning and thinking — more or less — is a factor 
that undoubtedly limits their progress in keenly com- 
mercial and Western States. Promptitude, whether 
it is the promptitude of the Minister in answering a 
letter or keeping an engagement, it is all the same, 
promptitude counts for much in business England. 
What measure of progress will be achieved depends 
upon a multitude of causes, all of which the Hungarian 
himself is able to control if only he realises it. 



CHAPTER XIX 

FROM BEATEN TRACKS 

' ' It matters not, where I am going, whether the weather be cold 
or hot." — Chancellor Eldon 

FINISHED with my long tours with all their 
little side trips, on looking at the map and 
on consulting my notebook, I found a number of 
places to which I was drawn, but which stood for 
the greater part far from beaten tracks. It was 
bewildering, for they stood isolated, and defying 
classification. Each, so to speak, content with its 
own glory. Therefore, where it was possible, I joined 
up a few places, and thus made up a short tour. Some 
of my most pleasant memories are associated with 
these trips. In every town something or somebody 
is indelibly stamped upon my mind. One has its 
church. It was the service I attended when depressed, 
when utterly home-sick, when longing to be insular 
again, that left its mark upon me. The simple 
splendour of the worship that autumn morn led me 
to see yet once again 

"Every common bush ablaze with God." 

These are the abiding memories. At another a 
winsome Magyar maid, clad in all the loveliness of 
her race, and endowed with those wonderful eyes 



3i6 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

that steal a man's heart before he is able to fortify 
it. Another disclosed a view, oh ! so superb, that gazing 
at it wondrously I lost the train, and in losing it found 
a friend who housed and homed a friendless soul. 
Then one little place, so primitive yet so entertaining, 
stands out so vividly because of its atmosphere. I 
must have been in the perfect mood to appreciate it, 
for I can imagine one calling it dull at times. Every 
movement of the cattle, of the peasants, and of the 
queerly clad children, was in perfect harmony with an 
atmosphere which came from without. So appealing, 
so transforming, and yet so pervasive, that nothing of 
the scene has been lost. One cannot touch up 
canvases like these. They alone are the privilege 
of the wanderer. Trips such as these I am about 
to describe were full of little compensations, and I 
feel now that I should not have known Hungary had 
I left without making them. The real traveller is dis- 
tinguished from the tourist by the measure of his 
leaving the beaten track. Joy unspeakable, experiences 
untold, awaits every soul with sufficient courage to 
draw up his own plan. After all, there is nothing 
else to do, for no tourist society goes beyond a 
certain line. It is easy to perceive that I am making 
a plea for originality in travelling, and seek for all by 
such a unique holiday. 

In some such mood as this I left Budapest one 
morning and rode direct to Gyor. The name was 
not new to me, and I could even pronounce it tolerably 
correctly. I had passed it several times before ; one does 
this coming from Vienna via Bruck. It is a busy- 
bodying little town. If you have not much luggage, 
take the omnibus, and for a penny you are placed in 
the very heart of the town in five minutes. You will 



FROM BEATEN TRACKS 317 

not be there long before you are told of the celebrated 
iron cock of Gyor, When under the regime of the 
Turks, the old pasha of the town said that this strange 
iron bird would crow when the Christians reconquered 
the place. History is again silent, and doubtless the 
bird was also. The churches are old, but no time 
should be wasted over them. Spend the time usually 
devoted to church-seeing, as I did, by exploring the 
places round Gyor, The fascination for things 
Napoleonic never diminishes. I confess to a weakness 
myself for places associated with the " incomparable 
Corsican." In Kiraly utcza stands — a fitting place for 
the house, for " Kiraly " means " King "■ — the old Zichy 
Palace in which Napoleon stayed in 1809. To-day 
a girls' school occupies the rooms. To what strange 

uses There is an ancient flavour about Gyor. You 

immediately become curious about its ancestors. At 
night, when the outer life has quieted down, echoes and 
memories are awakened. In my odd little room, 
tottering with age, the very walls seemed to have a 
secret they were guarding. Peering into the deserted 
street, imagination bridged over the centuries, and 
gradually it re-peopled. The effect was more than 
panoramic. Almost the first to appear were the 
stalwart sons of Rome. I recognised the conqueror 
in their attitude, and the stranger by their garb. 
These were the old citizens of Arabona then. One 
by one they passed as if on parade. Others came 
who seemed to be talking of their friends amongst 
the Arpad kings. And one who spoke so loudly that 
I learned a bishopric was founded here by St. Stephen. 
It was fascination itself. Costume changed repeatedly. 
It was a procession of periods. All seemed so familiar 
with the place. Later I learnt that the Hungarian 



3i8 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

kings were fond of dwelling within the walls of the 
city. This accounted for the number of privileges it 
possessed. Then a blur, a sad sounding wail pene- 
trated all. It was an echo of 1809. Was it not here 
that Napoleon defeated 60,000 Hungarians ? Memory- 
explained the sadness. Musing thus, the nights were 
passed. By day I sought the sequestered suburbs. 
One of these places, only four hours from Gyor, was 
in itself worth the entire visit. It was the famous 
Abbey of Pannonhalma. There is no mistaking the 
place, for it stands on a high eminence. Here was 
established the first abbey of the Hungarian Bene- 
dictines. The generous friend is supposed to have 
been the father of King Stephen. A legend has it 
that St. Martin the Bishop of Tours was born here. 
This rocky situation has three summits, all of which 
have been utilised. On one stands a convent and the 
abbey, and in the centre is the State erected calvary 
marking the millennial year. This calvary on examina- 
tion is found to contain a statue of Abbot Astrik, who 
was the medium used by Pope Sylvester II. for con- 
veying the crown to King Stephen. On the remaining 
peak is found the Chapel of the Virgin Mary, the spot 
where the Benedictines were interred. To visit the 
place alone, and sit a while amid the grandeur of the 
view and think, is indeed a joy. It is like turning 
over a page of ancient church history. The Bene- 
dictines are supposed to be the wealthiest Order in 
Hungary. They were the first of the missionary 
elements. Book-lovers revel in the old library, one 
of the choice specimens of which is a deed of the 
foundation of the abbey. This is put down at 997, 
but experts disagree. A richly embroidered mantle of 
great age would rouse the envy of all ladies. The 



FROM BEATEN TRACKS 319 

abbot keeps a watchful eye upon this precious gift. 
Quite apart from all its treasures, scenic and other, the 
genuine hospitality of the inmates makes it very hard 
to quit. 

Taking the line which leads to Becs-Ujhely, I arrived 
at Sopron. I had only a dim idea of what was to be 
seen, and was prepared for surprises. It was so near 
the Austrian frontier that I felt somehow that it was 
a neglected area that I trod. An immense amount of 
novelty was crowded here. It was less typically 
Hungarian than many of the places I visited, yet not 
far removed. A forgotten past seemed to appeal to 
one. Every little place appeared to say, " I am not 
what I was." Hotels of a sort were plentiful, and of 
a variable character. The unexpected and unsolicited 
was always provided, but the English necessaries were 
forgotten. It was stupid of me to expect more. 
Those narrow old-fashioned streets and buildings, with 
their antiquarian interest, seemed in perfect harmony 
with those of its inhabitants that I met. Every such 
place boasts of its historian, and I met him sure 
enough around the festive board at eventide. He 
was a hale old soul, full of memories. Every turn 
I took with him disclosed a picture or unravelled a 
mystery. There was the Town Hall to be visited, 
with its steeple. They say this steeple is one of the 
highest in Hungary, Trudging through the courtyard 
of the administrative buildings, attention was drawn to 
a stone block let into one of the walls, which declared 
that here once were encamped the 15 th legion. 
What travellers the Roman soldiers were ! Then 
there was the Storno House to be seen, or rather its 
collection of antiquities. It is the usual collection, 
locally overestimated. Church gazers are usually 



320 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

drawn to the little thirteenth-century Gothic church. 
I must confess that it disappointed me. But its 
neighbour, the Prefecture and Benedictine convent, 
had special charms of its own. Several new buildings 
struck a note of contrast. There is the customary- 
Museum, the chief attraction of which is a Celtic skull 
said to be 3000 years old, and an exceedingly fine 
collection of almanacs. Visit Sopron during the fruit 
season and you will see it at its best. Here is one 
of the most celebrated fruit markets in Hungary. 
There is also a Roman beacon some sixty metres 
high. Several other churches will provide architectural 
entertainment for an hour or so. A day can thus be 
well spent. I am a great advocate of spending a night 
at a place. Having slept in a town gives it an 
entirely different character, and you depart with the 
feeling that you are on better terms with it. My 
night reflections were again of those Roman legions 
who in the now forgotten past did duty by the city 
walls. I also sat and thought of Gibbon and 
Mommsen. 

On the morrow, scrip and staff in hand, I wended 
my way to Nagymarton, on the Vulka. It was not 
so much the old fortress there that I wanted to see, 
as to walk on as far as Fraknovar. From Nagymarton 
this takes nearly an hour and a half. Like Scott, I 
am fond of castles. As a boy a romance without a 
castle always struck me as inadequate. Here at 
Fraknovar is an ideal castle. It belongs to the 
Esterhazys. On three of its sides it is inaccessible. 
Regarding it thus, imagination filled in many little 
details. The castle proper is a large square building 
bearing the arms of Nicholas Esterhazy and his wife. 
You may enter the castle by a wooden bridge which 



FROM BEATEN TRACKS 321 

spans a gully, and here a gate in the Renaissance style 
is fixed. The prison door— for it was described as 
such to me — is on the right, and it bears the following 
inscription : ^'^ Hie discursus de pre(Zteritis,prcesentibti5 et 
ftiturisy On the left is another stone, which popular 
belief interprets as an old-time pillory for the prisoners. 
Having passed the outer portal, one is faced by the 
main door of the inner Castle, and passing along an 
arched portico one is able to reach the Castle square, 
or courtyard. ' Here stands an equestrian statue of 
Paul Esterhazy. One of the strange-looking doors 
leads to the famous treasury. Here one may find 
rich specimens of the goldsmith's art of the fifteenth, 
sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. The Castle simply 
abounds with interest. See that long chain ? That 
belongs to the Castle well. This well was made by 
Turkish prisoners, and is 142 feet deep. What an 
occupation for Turks ! Mount the watch tower, and 
what a view is disclosed ! Even those massive stair- 
case walls have their secrets. Were people really 
walled in here ? I was told so. A crown given to 
the porter is poor payment for all he has shown 
you. 

Continuing my journey, now across uneven roads, 
I eventually arrive at Kis-Marton. Forsaking the 
ancient for a moment, by way of contrast I longed 
for the modern, and here found the beautiful residence 
of Prince Esterhazy. The park, hothouses, and a 
statue by Canova is all one can see. Sightseeing of 
this order never tires one, if there is no worrying about 
time to be done. One can never see a country without 
leisure. The impressions taken while the ship is coaling 
have their place doubtless, but sometimes one seeks 
what is rather than what seems to be. Therefore I 
21 



322 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

pushed leisurely back to Sopron, and in so doing 
had to cover much of the same ground. Doubling is 
necessary occasionally. My intention on this short 
trip was to visit two more places ; one was Szombathely, 
the other Jaak. At Jaak was the one church in 
Hungary that I really was anxious about seeing. 
Szombathely gave me a surprise. Nothing of supreme 
interest, but a multitude of small attractions. It was 
a change. I attended a political gathering here on 
Sunday, and the entire scene deeply impressed me. 
There's a fine collection of Roman bronze articles here, 
and a speciality has been made of the Stone Age. All 
these are worth a special visit. They ought to be 
much better known than they are. In buildings, the 
Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral must satisfy the 
sightseer. The Cathedral is imposing in a way. Inside 
it contains one of Winterhalter's great pictures. Once 
upon a time the Romans seem to have thought much 
of Szombathely, for in 193 it appears that Septimus 
Severus was proclaimed Emperor here. Nearly 25,000 
people live very comfortably here. From Szombathely 
I made two excursions, one more than I had intended. 
It was a fortress with a history that drew me out again, 
and this time to Koszeg, only about six miles away. 
A strange little town of about 7000 inhabitants, but 
simply steeped in history. You may see it written on 
the faces of the old men and women. Look at that 
three-steepled church built by one of the great Palfifys ! 
What a picture ! Turn now to yonder fortress. Read 
up its past, the story of its battles. There was Nicholas 
Jurisics, who in 1532, with his troop, which consisted 
of 28 hussars, 18 German cavalry, and 700 unarmed 
fugitive peasants, resisted for no less than twenty-five 
days the huge Turkish army of 300,000 men. It was 



FROM BEATEN TRACKS 323 

something more than the impregnable walls, it was 
the spirit of fight these men possessed, which led to 
a withdrawal of this huge Turkish force. What a 
triumph ! The very thought of it made my blood 
tingle with excitement, and I stood at the base and 
gazed up at the grey walls. Spend a day here and 
feed at the village inn. Visitors are rare in these 
parts. The following day I started for Jaak, a much 
smaller place, but with a really great church. This 
church was built in the thirteenth century, and con- 
secrated by Bishop Omode in 1256. It has two 
steeples and a cupola, and is a fine example of 
Roman architecture. The doorway is wonderful, and 
is ornamented with Greek designs. The first two 
pillars rest upon the back of a savage-looking lion, 
symbolising the Evil One, then follows a plain pillar, 
after which four ornamented pillars, preserving this 
order throughout. There is nothing like this church 
in this part of Europe. Every architectural line upholds 
its reputation. 

Returning to Budapest, I heard much of the beauties 
of Hungary's inland sea — Lake Balaton, so I determined 
to bathe in its waters. Packing up luggage for a week, 
I soon learnt a new maxim : " An Englishman pro- 
poses, but Hungary disposes." Stopping on my way to 
Lake Balaton, I explored the town of Szekesfehdrvar. 
The town is not as important as it used to be, and it 
feels it. It even does more, it lets the visitor feel its 
annoyance. This is pardonable after all, for a town 
is very human, and it is human to do this. Both the 
churches and the restaurants are good without being 
excellent. I bracket them together because it is im- 
possible to escape either. You would never believe 
this town was once the capital, and the coronation 



324 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

town. Many Hungarian kings rest here. The great 
St. Stephen was buried here. Those destructive Turks 
destroyed the tombs of the old monarchs. Throughout 
Hungary the Turks left a bad impression. Szekes- 
fehervar has three hotels and more than 30,000 
inhabitants. As I was so near, and because I had 
read and heard so much about it, I determined to 
take just a peep at Veszpr^m. The Cathedral is 
evidently the thing to see. Curiously enough, it 
stands within the fortress. Visit the crypt if you 
will, the Gothic is good. What I enjoyed gazing at 
was the hanging gardens belonging to the residentiary 
canons. The priest as a rule knows where and how 
to live. St. Stephen is said to have made Veszprem 
a bishopric, and invested that ecclesiastic with the 
right to crown the monarch. It was summer, and I 
longed for the sea. Fortunately I was not far from 
the Balaton. The quickest way is to go direct from 
Budapest, for in an hour and a half you are there. 
Strangely, I have never felt like raving about the 
Balaton. Thousands around me have chanted its 
praises, and chanted them so enthusiastically, that 
the lake, its surroundings and its inhabitants when 
I was confronted with them, disappointed me. Probably 
it was something lacking in my character that led to 
this. But there it is. It is a huge concern, 5 i miles 
long and from 2 to 9 miles wide, and said to be the 
largest lake in Central Europe. This lake has its 
peculiarities. Here the bathing is good, but the lake- 
storms are of such moment as to make the stoutest 
heart quail. Fishing is excellent, and a particular 
species, the /o£^as, makes a fine meal. Wine near here 
has its own special virtues. It is probably — taking 
into account all its excellences — much better than I 



FROM BEATEN TRACKS 325 

have been able to make out. I was glad to have seen 
it, for it simply had to be seen. But, after all, what 
is a lake compared with the real sea? After leaving 
Balaton, and whilst riding down to Uj-Dombovar, 
which is a kind of junction, I was aware that in 
order to carry out my plan properly I must stay 
away from Budapest for more than a week. In 
order to finish up with this part of Hungary I must 
needs take two long rail journeys, which I did — but 
leisurely. From Uj-Dombovar I trained it to Pecs. 
I have already spoken of this town a little. Here is 
another old Roman town. During the fourteenth 
century a University flourished here with more than 
2000 students. These men were not only scholars, 
but in 1426 they proved their worth as soldiers, and 
the bulk of them with their professors laid down their 
lives at Mohacs. St. Stephen also founded a bishopric 
here. The Cathedral is the second finest in Hungary. 
It was the intellectual keenness of the town that ap- 
pealed to me. I suppose Pecs is the most musical 
town in Hungary, and certainly one of the most 
artistic. Much of this latter quality is due to the 
influence of the Zsolnay family. In the realm of 
pottery the Zsolnays are unequalled in Hungary. 
I will even go further and say that in majolica work 
the firm has few superiors in Europe to-day. Collectors 
will understand. Beauty is the reigning attribute of 
the Zsolnay house. Passing through their works, the 
rich variety of style, the originality of treatment and 
design, astounded me. If you wish for a real Hungarian 
souvenir, buy a piece of Zsolnay ware. It is not cheap, 
but its quality is unrivalled. Visitors are always 
welcomed at the works, and whilst there ask someone 
to take you over the garden. If possible, arrange to 



326 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

spend a Saturday and Sunday at Pecs. Visit the 
market, and gaze, simply gaze, at the women from 
the country. I always rave about them. Their 
costumes ! Just imagine it, I spent more than a 
week at P^cs. As I was leaving I espied the parish 
church almost hidden away in a corner. It was 
once a mosque. The nuns' chapel was also once a 
mosque, and its minaret stands out clearly to this 
day. Pecs is peculiarly noted for its music. Choirs 
abound. There is the Daldrda, or celebrated Choral 
Society, and a wonderful ladies' choir at the Synagogue. 
It's quite a big town, with its 43,000 inhabitants. I 
was sorry to leave the town and the Zsolnays behind. 
How to reach Fiume from here was a problem. To 
get into Bosnia was an easier matter. There was nothing 
for it but to go back to Uj-Dombovar, and catch an 
express to the chief town of the Hungarian Littoral. 

Now I have visited Fiume half a score times, but 
every time I discover something new to interest me. 
This will explain much. There the town stands, well 
in the arm of Quarnero Bay. I expected a soft 
Southern atmosphere, and I was not disappointed. 
Here the greater part of the people speak Italian. 
The feel of the town was so anti- Hungarian. Yet 
it's Hungary's only bit of sea. Herein lies much of 
its importance. When I arrived the place was all 
astir, for the British Fleet was expected, with Lord 
Charles Beresford in command, Fiume had dressed 
herself in her best. Italian and Magyar enthusiasm 
and admiration ran high. I preferred the town a trifle 
more normal. When the English tars marched into 
the Piazza Adamich, they encountered that crowd 
which " sits and stares and silently admires." But if 
I preferred normality, there was something pleasing 




BEHIND THE TOWN OF PECS 



FROM BEATEN TRACKS 327 

in seeing so many homely faces and hearing one's 
mother tongue again. A day or so later, Fiume 
settled down for me to see it as it really is. I heard 
the " banda cittadina " play, and visited the " torre 
della citta." This old fortress is covered with in- 
scriptions. Here one may learn that there was a 
great earthquake in 1750, and also that from a spot 
quite near the city of Fiume sent its contribution of 
earth to the coronation hill of Francis Joseph I. One 
needs a large notebook for Fiume. Leave the main 
street, the one main street, for a moment, and enter the 
Gomila, and you will find a bit of old Levant waiting 
for you. How I revel in these parts of a historic town- 
ship ! Look at those narrow, uneven lanes, literally 
swarming with people. Stand in the middle for a 
moment, and listen a while to the almost monotonous 
hammering of the coopers, then contrast it with the 
sharp metallic ring of the locksmiths. It is like treble 
and bass of human life, with none of the middle parts 
to make the harmony complete. Southern peoples 
crowd in on one here. How sweet their language, 
what liquid rippling sounds ! And their gesticulations, 
how different from the Magyars ! It made one jealous 
for a moment. Enter that ramshackle old building 
which men dignify by calling it a shop. The smell, 
the dirt, the disorder — but the beauty of the articles ! 
What do I call them ? These are remains of the old 
Venetian goldsmith's art, and in the language of the 
people are called " inorettir Bring one or two away 
as mementoes, for we may not pass this way again in 
life. How thrilling it all was ! It was just like touch- 
ing a battery. But come with me to the arco romano, 
or old Roman gateway. If you want to see age, look 
at this for a few moments, for it's the oldest thing that 



328 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

Fiume can provide. What does it represent ? Opinion, 
thou vacillating knave, speak now, and truly ! Alas ! 
one has to fall back upon "it is said" to be the triumphal 
arch of Claudius II. Close to it is the Cathedral, and 
the old castello. Here are some bells — I've spoken 
little about church bells — which are only stirred into 
song when one of the patrician families dies. Leave 
not the Gomila until you have carefully noted the flag- 
staff on the municipal building. Insignificant looking 
piece of wood, but remember it is a monument of that 
brief spell of Venetian rule. To-day another colour 
waves from here — the red, yellov*^, and blue. 

Fiume is full of markets. Stroll beside the wharves, 
watch the play of the sea, gaze at the lazy vessels and 
the busy sailors. I hope you will be as fortunate as 
I was, and see the Chioggian fishermen arrive all in 
gala costume, and bringing with them the best fruits 
of the deep. But perhaps you like churches better. 
Let me tell you who the patron saints of Fiume are. 
Vid and ModesUts. Neither you nor I could have 
guessed it. One of the churches is dedicated to these 
two saints. It is only a fourteenth-century church, but 
it has a legend. Once upon a time — how like a fairy 
story ! — an intoxicated Fiumeite named Peter Longarich 
threw a stone at a crucifix which stood on this very 
spot. Apparently the stone struck the Redeemer in 
the side, and blood flowed freely. It being the age of 
miracles, a church was erected on the spot. Who shall 
quarrel with the devout ? Therefore one may see fixed 
over the main altar the very crucifix and the stone, ap- 
pended to which is the following inscription in Latin : — 

"Ex hoc crucifice hujus lapidis ictus excussit sanguinem." 

Every church in Fiume has its own stock of legends 



FROM BEATEN TRACKS 329 

and relics. Fiume grows more beautiful and important 
every year. There is the great tobacco factory, and 
the torpedo works; the Whitehead torpedo, if you 
please. Lovers of modern palaces may find pure 
delight in the " Villa Giuseppe " owned by the Arch- 
duke Joseph, and the Governor's Palace. The view 
from both of these, with all their tropical associations, 
is superb. On one side is the " Monte Maggiore," 
looming lazily over the villas of Abbazia, whilst on 
the other is Tersatto Castle. 

Fiume has both a past and a future. Its past is 
deep set in history, whilst its future who dare prophesy 
to-day ? In the days of the Romans it was noted for 
its fast sailing ships. Apparently the town has had 
many vicissitudes, and by reason of its repeated change 
a subtle charm has settled upon it. The Avars, the 
Frangepans, the Ducnos, and the Walsees. Then 
followed some three hundred years' rule under an 
Austrian Archduke. It will be noted that the Turks 
did not really penetrate as far as Fiume. This does not 
mean that the town was immune from trouble. The 
Venetians caused no end of bother, and though they 
captured it once, it only remained four days in the 
possession of the Republic. After this Fiume was 
harassed by the Usks, These were a pirate crowd. 
Fiume was made a free port in 1725, and Maria 
Theresa annexed the town to Hungary in 1776, whilst 
Napoleon in 1809 incorporated it with the Illyrian 
kingdom. Such were its fluctuations. It will interest 
Englishmen to hear that in 1 8 1 3 an English fleet 
began to bombard the harbour. In connection with 
this incident the story is told of how Caroline Bellenich, 
the daughter of one of the rich burgesses, heavily clad 
in mourning attire, appeared before the English admiral 



330 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

and obtained from him a cessation of the bombardment. 
A little later, French dominion ceased, and in 1822 
it was annexed to Hungary, but at the close of the 
Revolution in 1848 it was governed as a separate 
territory. Finally, in 1868 it again came back to 
Hungary, where it has remained ever since. Fiume 
demands more than a tourist day. Its surroundings 
are worth more than that, Tersatto Castle, the seat 
of the Frangepans, Castelvecchio, and Cirkvenicza. 
Most of all this beauty had to be dug out. Travellers 
are lazy souls, and are too often guided by a picture 
post-card, or sixpenny book of views. Time after 
time has one been forced to remark, Why was not 
this and that place included ? So is it at Fiume. 
The hidden arched streets and gruesome entrances 
have ever a picture to disclose. This is all for the 
visitor, but Fiume is becoming a great port, and this 
is all for Hungary. On taking the long journey from 
the Adriatic to Budapest again, I determined to break 
my journey somehow at Lipik. Here is a charmingly 
situated, amply equipped health resort. It was the 
very soul of restfulness. There are no finer baths in 
Hungary than at Lipik. Some day these will be 
noted. Stay as I did with Dr. C. Demjen. Here 
you will be in the centre of a Slavonian county sur- 
rounded with all its characteristic scenery. You can 
get everywhere from here. The Adriatic, Zagrab, and 
Bosnia. It is new ground to break. 

At last back again in dear old Budapest, with all its 
limitations. I stay but a few days before going out 
again to complete my grand tour of the country. All 
the really exciting places are over, but more of com- 
mercial Hungary remains to be seen. This time it 
was going to the real home of the Magyars again. 




;>- 




FROM BEATEN TRACKS 331 

Kecskemet on the direct line to Temesvar, and Orsova 
is typically Magyar. Just one of those biggish towns 
whose size and importance for ever remains unexplained. 
Of sights it has nothing to show, yet there it is so big 
that you feel you must see it. You are afraid of the 
reproach : " What ! not been to Kecskemet ? " A three 
hours' coach drive with all the unique charm of the 
puszta on either side brings one to Pusztaszer, where 
the ruins of a church dating back to the Arpads may be 
seen. This is the historic attraction. In a compara- 
tively short time from here, Szeged, the second largest 
town in Hungary and the capital of the Alfold, is 
reached. Here are more than a hundred thousand 
business-minded people, a very good thing indeed for 
Hungary. It lies on both banks of the river Tisza. I 
visited Szeged in order to gauge the measure of genuine 
Hungarian activity and industry. Nothing in the form 
of monuments is to be found here of surpassing 
interest. It is a business place for a business man. 
An English writer who visited Szeged about 1830 
described it as one of the most disagreeable towns in 
Hungary. It has outgrown all this. In 1879 the 
river Tisza burst its banks, and the town was practically 
destroyed ; this accounts for its newness. If you would 
visit Sieged, do it at the end of spring, and watch the 
Tisza " bloom." It is a natural phenomenon " arising 
from the Ephemera (Tisza virag), millions of which 
settle on the water to lay their eggs." Before going 
to the Banat, I determined to pay a hurried visit to 
Szabadka. Now I am glad that I did this, though I 
stayed longer than I intended. This royal free borough 
is really on the direct road to Belgrad, though quite near 
Szeged. You would never believe that more than 80,000 
people live here. And what a race ! Here the people 



332 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

interest, not the buildings. The usual meed of churches 
and monasteries, but the wonderful race variety enthrals. 
These pictures — for every person is a picture — and the 
historic hospitality of Szabadka provide all the interest 
necessary. Look at the Bunyevdczs, those descendants of 
the Dalmatian emigrants ! Did ever mortal man see such 
women, or such rich and picturesque costumes ? What 
a head-dress ! Let me tell you its name, even though 
you forget it to-morrow ! It sounds grand, for it is 
called the " Pletenicza." What originality of manners 
and customs ! The gold-embroidered short chemisette, 
the richly coloured silk bodice, and the rustling silk 
skirt ! Attention is immediately commanded. Then 
there is the Sokacz people, with all their Slav blood. 
I first met some of these in the market-place of P^cs. 
These are the real sights to see in Hungary ; make a 
list of them and determine to see them before you 
leave. In Hungary the superlative interest is live men 
and women. I have almost completed my tour, and 
the shadows of departure already loom. Returning to 
Szeged, I took the State railway direct to Temesvar. 
Temesvar is the capital of the Banat. But what is 
the Banat ? It lies in the south-east corner of Hungary, 
between the Tisza, Maros, and the Danube. About 
two hundred years ago the Turks were in possession of 
this district. Joseph II, did something towards render- 
ing it equally civilised and populous with the rest 
of Hungary. Land was sold at extremely moderate 
prices, and settlers of all nations tempted. The soil, 
a rich black loam, when well ploughed yields extra- 
ordinary produce. Amid all this lies Temesvar. Not 
much of the old remains. In 1 7 1 8 it was little better 
than a collection of huts. Thanks to Prince Eugene, 
who then besieged the town, the Turks were driven out 



FROM BEATEN TRACKS 333 

for ever. The Prince then planned a new town. Even 
to-day traces of Turkish occupation remain, — truly 
not so pronounced as fifty years ago, — for you see the 
black eye and delicately arched nose of a character 
perfectly Eastern. In 141 3, John Hunyadi built the 
fortress in which John Zapolyai captured George 
Dozsa, who was a kind of Hungarian Wat Tyler. In 
the middle of the town a chapel is built on the actual 
spot where Dozsa was roasted. History says that 
Dozsa was seated on a throne of red-hot iron, a red- 
hot crown was placed upon his head, and a red-hot 
sceptre in his hand. Forty of his followers had been 
confined without food for a fortnight ; nine of them 
still survived the starvation, when they were brought 
before their tortured leader and commanded to feed 
on him while living. Those who hesitated were cut 
down, while the rest tore the flesh from his bones and 
devoured it greedily. " To it, hounds ! ye are of my 
own training," was the only remark which escaped 
the lips of the dying man. 

Those were brutal days, gone it is hoped for ever. 
One looks at the spot now with a shudder. To-day 
Temesvar is the Southern Manchester, and a trading 
centre of which more will be heard. 

There are many places even now that one wants 
to visit, but on returning to Budapest only one 
seemed stamped with the sign of the imperative. This 
was Eger. Being of the Sabbath's day order, I deter- 
mined to make this my last descriptive place. Many 
times I had passed by on the other side, but now the 
moment for a Samaritan's act had come. It was 
to be a motor ride this time, so we — for I had some 
friends with me- — went direct to Fiizes-Abony, and 
then side-tracked. I know I ought to have looked at 



334 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

those prehistoric bronze furnaces, or at least the remains 
of them. But I didn't. Eger is a small town with a 
large history. Amongst other things it boasts of 
having an archbishop. It had also two very habitable 
hotels. The Cathedral is average. Let description 
stop at this. Life is not focused here, neither is 
history. On the top of the Almagy hill stands a 
ruined fortress, together with the tomb of one Stephen 
Dobo, renowned for his heroic defence of Eger. In 
this neglected spot is found all the credentials of 
notoriety, the annals of fame. With only 2000 men 
at command, Dobo defended the town against an army 
of 150,000 Turkish soldiers. Man after man fell 
during the siege, until Dobo found his ranks thinned 
to a paltry 700 men. When almost beset with fear, 
the brave women of Eger rushed to his assistance, 
and by pushing down huge pieces of rock, and pouring 
boiling oil upon the Turks, were successful in saving 
the prestige of the town. Four weeks' siege was 
enough for the Turks, who retired after having suffered 
tremendous loss. Thus went abroad the fame of the 
brave Eger women. The perfume of that heroic act 
pervades this quiet town to this very day. Far from 
the beaten tourist tracks of Hungary I was able to 
understand a trifle more clearly the undying tempera- 
ment of the Magyar and his associates, to estimate 
more accurately the historic value of events and places, 
and to foresee, though perhaps only dimly, somewhat of 
the destiny of the country. It was not a mere peep 
that I took, but a long steady gaze. And what of the 
future ? This must be told now. 




TYPE OF SOUTHERN HUNGARIAN 



CHAPTER XX 

THE FUTURE OF HUNGARY 

"Nations are beginning to realise that there is no destiny so inevitable 
as that which they shape for themselves." 

WHAT is the destiny of Hungary ? I have been 
asked the question a hundred times. It is of 
interest at least to foreign publicists, but it seems least 
of all to interest the Hungarians themselves. This is 
because they are to-day more political than practical. 
I too have asked the question. What was the answer 
that I received ? It commenced with a shrugging of 
the shoulders, and ended with a tautological evasion. 
I then consulted the prophets — those political crystal- 
gazers of distant lands. They told all they knew, but 
less than what they felt. The great elements of the 
question they studied and tested, but ignored the lesser. 
Could I not begin, then, where these giant souls left off? 
It was an idea, and I worked at it patiently. I looked 
and hoped for results differing from theirs, and what 
I looked for to some degree I found. I was con- 
fronted with all the standard sayings concerning 
Austria-Hungary, all the prejudices, all the ignorance. 
For a time all this haunted me, and I could 
not shake it off; its appearance of reality loomed 
like a darkening shadow over every new experiment. 
Difficulties hampered me on every side. Time after 



336 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

time I abandoned the quest. It may seem a common- 
place, but I arrived at the conclusion one day that the 
destiny of Hungary was the measure of its commercial 
and political genius. This seemed to reduce matters 
a trifle. Let me at the outset state that I believe in 
the possibility of Hungary to exist as a separate 
kingdom — but not at present. 

Undoubtedly the aspirations of the nation are to- 
wards full independence. To this to-day are several 
barriers. There is the barrier of Austria, with its 
superior position consequent largely upon the failure 
of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and not the 
inherent genius of the House of Habsburg. To retain 
this superiority, which asserts itself in diplomacy and 
military affairs, Austria has always to fight, losing a 
little at every struggle. Austria fights to retain, 
Hungary to regain, hence the measure of fighting 
enthusiasm must rest with the Magyars. This is a 
common or ordinary factor to remember always. But 
this is not the greatest barrier to Hungarian complete 
independence. The great enemy Hungary has is .her- 
self Hungary has not yet commenced to realise 
that there is no destiny so inevitable as that which it 
is shaping for itself. All nations of the future will 
have to possess qualities which are absent from Hungary 
to a great degree. By this I mean that such qualities 
of character are to-day o'ershadowed and retarded by 
a too generous application of parochial political ideas. 
Let me repeat, Hungary is over political. A Hungarian 
engineer who had spent several years in America and 
Mexico was lamenting this fact to me one day. Said he, 
" What is wanted is that all the Ministeriums should 
have at least fifty young Americans in them." There 
is much in such a proposition. Genuine business 



THE FUTURE OF HUNGARY 337 

capacity is scant indeed in Hungary, and without it no 
State can stand alone twelve months. 

There is another need equally pressing, it is the 
need of a man with a clear definite programme. What 
does the nation want ? That is the question ! So far 
as I can judge, the nation has not yet made up its 
mind ; and what is equally bad, there appears no one 
living to help it do so. Herein lies a grave defect. 
Austria realises this, and the so-called interested Powers 
are equally aware of it. Hungary demands men of 
action. The only logical political party in Hungary 
is that which stands definitely for independence. To 
be a Constitutionalist only is not doing much. To be 
a Clerical is less. To be a Socialist is to be one-sided. 
But to stand first and foremost for independence, 
realising all that means in commercial and industrial 
activity, in the securing and building up of an army, 
and in the political genius which permeates and pene- 
trates diplomacy, is an ideal which is realisable, and 
which by united effort Hungary is able to achieve. 
There are Mazzinis and Cavours in Hungary, but 
I have looked in vain for a Garibaldi. 

Every great and commanding moment in the annals 
of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm. 
Where is that genuine, spontaneous enthusiasm to-day ? 
From the chaos of high-sounding phrases, from the 
canting epithets of party spouters, from the disruptions 
and distortions of political axe-grinders, a great man, 
and only a great man, will be able to deliver the nation. 
By such a man, I mean one who gives you a " sense of 
mass." One of those men impossible to displace or 
overset. Such a man will enable Hungary to breathe. 
It is one of the requirements of progress. The future 
presses. To-morrow cannot wait. This man of 
22 



338 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

action must not be afraid of making mistakes, not 
afraid of criticism, and not averse to the responsibility 
of constructive politics. Modern politicians in Hungary- 
are more fond of criticism than construction. The 
future of Hungary lies in the hand of the great man. 
What are the resisting forces which independence as 
an ideal must encounter? They are ranged up in 
order by the prophets in all their national battle array. 
Look at them, the Teuton, the Slav, the Latin ! These 
are supposed to be the hereditary foes of Hungarian 
independence, of separation from Austria. Hungary 
must needs keep an eye upon the whole of them. 
Difficult political detective business to accomplish. 
But the great leader of men could do this. It has 
been done before. Therefore one of Hungary's 
essential needs is action, and behind it a clearness of 
vision which discerns direction. Let these two qualities 
develop amongst Young Hungary, then the future is 
secured, be that future what it may. It is the one all- 
conquering force in the world. Until this great man 
arrives what is being done, or will be done ? Some 
even suggest that such a prominent figure will never 
arrive ! I do not share this view, for I am firmly 
convinced of the potentialities of Young Hungary. It 
is in this direction that he must be looked for. But in 
the interim ? 

Consciously or unconsciously, and withal slowly, 
forces are at work preparing the nation for the arrival 
of the great man. Let me enumerate them. Magyar- 
isation. As a language, Hungarian is becoming 
more universal than ever it was before. There is also 
an increased commercial activity, a striving on the 
part of some to develop industry. Signs of a tendency 
amongst the old nobility to bring themselves more 



THE FUTURE OF HUNGARY 339 

into line with the needs of the country. This aloof- 
ness is a great barrier. Power and authority need to 
be more evenly distributed. Therefore a new hope 
may spring from the new franchise law. Slight 
changes in the economic relationship of Hungary to 
Austria is another factor of value. But granting that 
Hungary desires independence ultimately in its fullest 
sense, the most important work remains to be done. 
This work is first of all the " language of command." 
It is absolutely ridiculous to sit and consider the fact 
of Hungary without an army, or Hungary with an 
army commanded and officered in German. If the 
Magyars are wise, directly the franchise reform has 
been effected they will immediately and stronger than 
ever agitate for an army of their own to defend and 
protect that which they are so keen about developing. 
This will naturally awaken all the forces of alarm in 
Austria. But the struggle is vital to Hungary's 
destiny. On this question of two armies and two 
languages, General Blumenthal, one of the great 
Prussian commanders, was once asked whether it 
would weaken the military power of Austria- Hungary. 
" Not one whit," was the General's unhesitating answer, 
" provided His Majesty's rights, as commander-in-chief 
of both armies, were stretched far enough to secure 
unity in their operations." That is an absolutely 
unbiased military opinion. The need, the immediate 
need, is then a Hungarian General Staff, a supply of 
competent officers, and an artillery division. To-day 
the Magyars are only journeymen soldiers, a fact true 
also of the officers. This must be changed, and they 
must be schooled to fight for themselves, not another 
nation. Let there first, then, be a separation of the 
military force. This will naturally involve increased 



340 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

financial responsibility, which the nation must be 
prepared to incur. It can easily be done by the rich 
Jews and richer magnates spending more money in 
Hungary, and less in foreign lands. Charity begins 
at home. If I were a Magyar, I would be content 
with nothing short of this. It must, of course, be 
obtained step by step, and the nation must be taught 
to see the need of it. 

What kind of a show does Hungary get in naval 
matters? This also must be changed. Then there 
is the question of a Hungarian Bank. It may seem 
unimportant, but it's not. Hungary for years has 
suffered at the hands of Austria in this direction, and 
even if it had not, it can never hope to realise the 
ideal of independence without achieving such details 
as this. Changes have been made in commerce, but 
separation is distant. And finally separate consuls 
and a special diplomacy is needed. The diplomatic 
aims and needs of the two countries are not identical, 
and they never can be. All these things are within 
the range of practical politics. But they need to be 
placed before the nation as urgent and practical 
politics. 

I admit it is a titanic task. But in looking over 
the pages of Hungarian history I find it full of 
titanic achievements. Let me continue. Another 
need is solidarity. Dealings with the nationalities 
must be more give than take. Friendship with even 
the smallest alien group within their confines must be 
courted, must in fact be won by generous deeds. 
Such friendship, then, must always be kept in repair. 
The root basis of opposition must be sought, and in 
this lies half the battle. Non-Magyar resentment 
must be honestly disarmed if ever independence be 



THE FUTURE OF HUNGARY 341 

secured. It is good policy, and the politician better 
than anybody else knows the moral value of a 
majority behind him. Finally, a larger measure of 
morality must come into politics. These are the 
internal needs and dangers, the power of coping with 
which the Magyar alone possesses the key. 

Presuming, then, that all this is accomplished, and 
that the Magyars stand alone as a nation before the 
world, are they then immune from danger ? Certainly 
not. Even whilst such a huge undertaking is in 
progress of development, signs of international unrest 
and concern will be visible. Austria and her friend 
the German will contest every step. What is it that 
gives Austria such an air of superiority? A million 
or two more of population ? Is her organic unity 
stronger? I admit a larger intellectual sense and a 
more finely developed industrial system, but more than 
this I cannot. Yet one always feels something of the 
senior partner in the firm about Austria. As soldiers 
and politicians are the Hungarians inferior to the 
Austrians ? Who dares say that they are ? Is there 
more harmony amongst the nationalities in Austria 
than in Hungary? Not a bit. On this question 
Lucien Wolf has something to say : — 

" Hungary and not Austria was in reality and has 
always remained the predominant partner. The 
Compromise was virtually made at her dictation. 
She had the knife at the throat of Austria in the dark 
year of 1867, and the Compromise was consequently 
a capitulation to her wishes. Since then her pre- 
dominance has strengthened year by year, owing to 
the fact that the Magyars enjoy a more perfect 
cohesion than the Germans in Austria. The morti- 
fication thus produced in Austria is accentuated by 



342 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

another curious fact. In order to give the illusion of 
her predominance a semblance of reality, she agreed 
in the Compromise that she should pay two-thirds of 
the common expenditure, while Hungary should only 
pay one-third. Thus, while the Magyars call the tune, 
it is always the Austrians who pay the piper." 

Even the Magyars scarcely realise the truth of all 
this. It would seem that Hungary is essential to 
Austria's continuance as a State. Must Hungary for 
ever be kept from developing itself along the lines 
that lead to independence, in order that the considera- 
tions of an European balance of power be preserved ? 
It would be a pitiable position for two such States to 
occupy. Who is the political or diplomatic deity in 
Europe who has thus decreed ? Is he German ? It 
is not to be gainsaid that Germany is a powerful factor 
to consider in connection with the future of Hungary. 
It is perhaps the all-important outside factor. There 
are those who imagine that Germany's aggressiveness 
is entirely focused upon the sea. This is not so. 
The German commercial officials dotted here and 
there over every country, are much more than mere 
commercial consuls ; they are, it is true, all this most 
excellently, but with a strong sedulous political bias. 
The great needs of the Berlin Foreign Office find 
expression occasionally through the medium of these 
men. This is particularly true of those countries 
through which some definite line of policy is hoped 
to pass, I admit that Germany is more anxious to 
hit England very hard on the sea, but I am also aware 
of her ambitions in the Balkans, and that Fiume would 
be a useful piece of seaboard. It is unwise of the 
Hungarians to imagine that Germany is too much 
engaged in promoting the downfall of England's 



THE FUTURE OF HUNGARY 343 

supremacy of the seas, to pay no attention to affairs 
so important and so near home. Why, any opportunity 
of securing Adriatic seaboard would only add to her 
poAver on the sea, and render her more able to cope 
with England. Italy and France would not interfere, 
and if Italy did, the struggle would only be a short 
one. Germany is more dangerous than Hungary 
imagines. 

There is also the Latin and his ambitions. Italy 
is much more concerned with Trieste than Fiume. 
If it were a struggle between Austria single-handed 
and Italy, the latter would win, and Trieste would 
soon be flying the Italian flag. But if conquering 
Germany were to push on through the German part 
of Austria, and although winning all the way along, 
the Italians would be in a better position to succeed 
against their tired troops, and they might also be 
joined by many Austrians. It would also be a long 
way from their base, and it would open up such a 
possibility of crushing Germany on the part of its 
enemies, that one is assured that Germany is much 
too sane to leave its guard open in such a manner. 
It is not so much her power to cope with either 
Austria or Italy, or even both, but the danger she 
exposes herself to by doing it. But supposing such 
a possibility, then Fiume, Trieste, and Pola would 
make Germany impregnable in * the Adriatic, and 
provide a great barrier to England's reign over the 
Mediterranean. Italy, on the other hand, would be 
content with Trieste, whilst Austria, having lost its 
only seaport, would have little use for Pola. Hungary 
might have a shot for it, with several of the Dalmatian 
towns, though little Montenegro would probably have 
something to say. It is obvious that Germany is 



344 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

to-day the European ogre. In all these differences 
between nations, Hungary, if well equipped, might play 
an important part. But Hungarian statesmen must 
beware even to-day of the flattery of German 
Chancellors, whose aim is to deceive. There is that 
in the Hungarian character which is susceptible to 
apparent kindness and flattery, and the Teuton has 
already discovered it. Crispi was caught in the toils 
of it, and men equally vain exist to-day. Andrassy 
the elder soon played into the hands of the German 
Foreign Office, and foreign policy along the ages has 
shaped itself on those lines. Here, then, comes the 
need of a far-seeing, penetrating, great man. 

There is also the Slav with his ambitions. Russia 
is much too engaged with her internal bothers to worry 
for years about an extension of her already too large 
empire in Europe. On the break-up of Austria- 
Hungary Russia would perhaps be called upon to 
interfere. In the Dual Monarchy the Slav element 
predominates. This potent force hates Germany, and 
under existing conditions is not prepared to be 
swallowed up by Russia, and by doing this lose all 
its liberty and free institutions. But, having to choose 
between Germany and Russia, the Teuton would lose. 
It is in this direction that I foresee a possibility which 
ripens to some extent daily. If the existence of 
Austria-Hungary is a necessity to the balance of 
power in Europe, then something must take its place, 
or Europe will topple down. The Slavs of the Dual 
Monarchy and the Balkans are more aware of all this 
than comfortable politicians think. It is therefore 
within the limits of possibility that a new Slav force, 
united, competent, and strong, may spring into being. 
The Slavs of Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Servia, and 



THE FUTURE OF HUNGARY 345 

Montenegro might combine, and thus realise their 
ideal, or at least join together for defence against 
their common enemy, which would be Germany. 
Russia would hold a watching brief on behalf of these 
elements. The Magyars and Italians would also have 
to be counted against by Germany. Where are the 
allies of Germany? Her splendid isolation would 
then merit splendid destruction. The idea of a great 
Slav nation is as present to-day 'as when Count 
Krasinski lectured in England. In 1848 he wrote: 
" This feeling of nationality has now become stronger 
and more universal than ever amongst the Slavonians, 
as well as the belief that one race is destined to assume 
a position in the world proportionate to its numbers 
and the extent of its territory. This belief is not 
founded upon any visionary speculations of imaginative 
minds, but is the natural result of a dispassionate 
examination of the present and past history of the 
Slavonic race. . . . The strong intellectual movement 
animating all the branches of the Slavonic race is 
attended by a growing tendency towards a union of 
all these branches amongst themselves, as well as their 
separation from nations of a different origin, with whom 
many Slavonians are now politically united. This 
tendency is a natural result of an increased com- 
munication between the different- branches of the 
Slavonic race, because they have led to the universal 
recognition of this important fact, that all the Slavon- 
ians, notwithstanding the various modifications resulting 
from the influence of different climes, religions, and 
forms of government, are in all their essentials one 
and the same nation, speaking various dialects of the 
same mother tongue, so nearly connected amongst 
themselves that the sailors of Ragusa can freely 



346 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

converse with the fishermen of Archangel, and the 
inhabitants of Prague as easily communicate with those 
of Warsaw and Moscow." 

This, but to a much larger degree, is true of to-day. 
Look at another element of this Slav possibility ! The 
Heir-Apparent of the Dual Monarchy is Francis 
Ferdinand. Students of Austro- Hungarian politics 
must surely be aware of his Slav proclivities. He is 
a more clever man than many imagine. Doubtless 
he has foreseen the hopelessness of resting his hopes 
upon the German element of the empire-kingdom. 
He is wise. His wife is a Slav, he speaks a Slav 
language, and his friends are Slavs. His men are 
now striding into power. Aerenthal is more Slav 
than Teuton, and the Heir-Apparent's Christian 
Socialist friends have a distinct Slav flavour. Is the 
Austrian Chief - of - Staff pro - German ? In both 
Austria and Hungary he is seeking to capture the 
Clerical Party. Look at the huge number of important 
Czechs in the Austrian Clerical Party. He is in favour 
of a big Slav empire, is fond of Russia, and his aim 
in founding such an empire would be to combat 
Emperor William's invasion of the Adriatic and the 
Balkans. Crown Princes when they assume responsi- 
bility change much. These evidences must not be 
disregarded altogether. The possibility of a new 
Slav Empire is a great opposing force to the 
ambitions of the Emperor William. A distinguished 
writer some few years ago said : — 

" It is now more than possible that our science, our 
civilisation, our great and real advance in the practice 
of government, are only bringing us nearer to the day 
when the lower races will predominate in the world, 
when the higher races will lose their noblest elements, 



THE FUTURE OF HUNGARY 347 

when we shall ask nothing from the day but to live, 
nor from the future but that we may not deteriorate." 

That day may be nigh at hand, and if one watches 
the development going on amongst those Slav races 
of the Balkans it becomes more than evident. There 
is a revival going on amongst the younger or smaller 
nations. Look at Bulgaria and its army, Roumania 
and Servia, Montenegro and its yearning for con- 
stitutionalism. Look again at ignored Hungary ! 
What a military front such a multiple alliance could 
provide ! A full realisation of German ambitions, and 
the hopelessness of Austrian dependence for opinion 
upon Berlin, will usher in the day of such an alliance, 
sweeping away with its dawn all the narrow bickerings 
and petty frontier ambitions which Germany for so 
long enjoyed watching. In a new Slav nation what 
niche could be found for Hungary ? Here is a problem. 
Its very language is a barrier. On the other hand, 
there is little German about the Magyar. Amongst 
a multiple alliance what position could the Magyars 
attain to ? In political genius they are superior to 
their neighbours, their territory is larger, their army 
superior for the most part, their population larger, 
their education higher, and finally they are nearer the 
great West. Magyar superiority runs along these 
lines, and naturally, with such a capital as Budapest, 
power could well be focused in those marvellous 
Parliament buildings. All this sounds like ushering in 
the glorious millennium. To those on the spot watch- 
ing the grey undercurrent of political opinion, grave 
and ominous changes are imminent. What form in 
its initial stages such will take no one can estimate, 
simply because it is impossible to know what the 
impressionable Magyar is likely to do next. The 



348 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 

great and enduring future of Hungary depends upon 
the utilisation of all the forces at present within its 
grasp. A wresting from Austria of those elements 
of control and power without which it can never hope 
to secure its independence, or having it hope to retain 
it. A recognition of the need of action, and of deeds. 
That industry and commerce have no less an exalted 
position than politics. That the great future depends 
upon the great present more than the glowing past ; 
a future in which every unit of the State, magnate as 
well as artisan, must contribute his best and most. 
And that all alien peoples must be taught by extended 
privileges, by that larger freedom which in giving also 
receives, and by that due and rightful recognition of 
nationality, to harmonise, to make for solidarity 
against, the common enemy not only of the Magyar 
but of the Slav destiny. Then the so-called Roumanian 
ambitions on Transylvania, together with the ambitions 
of Servia and Bulgaria, will vanish in a single night. 
Upon all these, none of which are impossible, the 
future of Hungary depends. 

" And if it be a dream — 
If the great Future be the little Past 

'Neath a new mask . . . 

Such visions are of morning. 

Theirs is no vague forewarning. 
The dreams which nations dream come true, 

And shape the world anew " (Lowell) 



INDEX 



Ada Kaleh, romantic island of, 295 

Agricultural Museum unequalled in 
world, 106 

Andrassy, master of constitutional 
law, 162 

Apponyi, his newly won success, 
36 

orator and statesman, 159 

"Arad Day," nation's mourning 
day, 21 

Arany, Shakespeare of ballad, 87 

Armistice, terms of, 36 

Arpad, coming of, 4 

"Ausgleich," the famous Com- 
promise, 25 

and the Delegations, 276 

Balassa, his wonderful technique, 

131 
Balaton, the beauties of, 324 
Banffy is commercial, 163 
Bathory, man of exceptional gifts, 

173 , 
Batthyany, the martyr, 21 
Bela IV. not devoid of qualities, 7 
Benczur, leader amongst painters, 

98 
Bessenyey, appearance of, 132 
Bethlen Gabor, his two constant 

aims, 12 
Bocskay, defender of Protestantism, 

12 
Brasso, prettiest little town, 202 
Budapest, the population of, 28 

its rapid growth, 92 

its history, 93 

and art, 97 

and its coffee-houses, 104 

best at night, 109 

the Royal Palace, 113. 

the police, 118, 

Bulla Aurea, Article v. omitted, 6 



Bulla Aurea, integral part corona- 
tion oath, 7 

Capistran, John, marched on Bel- 
grade, 9 

Charles Robert of Anjou, an excel- 
lent ruler, 8 

Louis, son of, 8 

Charles iii., the reign of, 15 

Croatia, integral part of Hungary, 5 

a Slav nation, 222 

history of, 223 

Slavonia, its autonomy, 226 

and the zadruga, 229 

the minstrels of, 232 

a marriage custom, 234 

and its costumes, 237 

Csdrdds, dance of temperament, 
214 

Csokonai, the lyrist, 68 

Csoma and Tibet, 127 

Csorba, the road to, 43 

Czinka Panna, " Dance of Death," 
213 

Daranyi, a pohtical agriculturist, 
163 

thanks to, 298 

Deak firm and moderate, 149 
Debreczen, so-called Kriscana, xvii 

" City of the Magyars," 66 

its Petoii associations, 67 

Diploma Leopoldinum, what it was, 

Dobsina, the ice cavern, 54 

Eastern Question, began to disturb 

Europe, 8 
Education, its brilliance, 117 
Eger, the brave women of, 334 
Election, a country, 152 
method of polling at, 156 



350 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 



Election, humours of, 158 
Endre il., ambition and craft, 6 
Endrodi, his Ktirticz songs, 143 
Eotoos, though dead yet- speaketh, 

138 
Erkel and Hungarian opera, 267 
Esztergom, its picturesqueness, 286 

Fejervary, socially boycotted, 34 
Fiume, Hungary's only bit of sea, 

326 

its quaint streets, 327 

and the Chioggian fishermen, 

328 
a past and a future, 329 

German colonists, why introduced, 7 
Gipsies and Joseph 11., 206 

and the Archduke Joseph, 210 

influence on Kubelik, 218 

hypnotic influence of music, 

220 
Gipsy children, enormous numbei", 

53 

music a speciality, 204 

Gladstone, famous Wirral speech, 

xix 
Goldmark, composer of power, 268 
Gorgei, his despicable act, 20 
Gtinther, a clean reputation, 163 
Gyor, ancient flavour of, 317 

Haynau, the butcher, 21 

thrashed in London, 22 

Herczeg, his clear-cut wit, 144 
Hortobagy, magnificent sunrises, 

75 
House of Habsburg, Hungary's 

first blood-tax paid, 7 
succession in the male line, 

^3 . . 

succession in the female line, 

dethroned by Hungarian 

Parliament, 20 
Hungarian, a speedy absorbent, 26 

■ Parliament cleared, 36 

■ roads, 44 

sport, 120 

a language of affixes, 126 

fond of gambling, 244 

a great smoker, 245 



Hungarian love of show, 252 

music, 256 

institutions, principle of, 274 

hemp cultivation, 301 

viticulture, 304 

horticulture, 305 

cattle, 306 

sericulture, 306 

horses, 310 

forestry, 3 1 1 

need is solidarity, 340 

possibility, 347 

Hungary, land of surprises, xvi 

practically unknown, xvii 

great sufferer, xvii 

why misunderstood, xx 

sentinel of Western civilisa- 
tion, 8 

rallying capacity of nation, 13 

independence of, 14 

and passive resistance, 24 

again save Austria, 25 

agitated, 35 

and juvenile crime, 60 

religion in, 122 

and the Reformation, 130 

relation to Austria, 272 

and agriculture, 300 

the destiny of, 335 

the aspirations of, 336 

demands men, 337 

Hunyadi, John, his fiery genius, 9 
the deeds of, 170 

" Iron Gates " opened for traffic, 
292 

Jaak, a really great church, 323 
Jew, the ubiquitous, xx 

and Hungarian commerce, 30 

Jokai, the master creator, 138 

J oseph, Archduke, compiled czigane 

dictionary, 212 
Joseph, the autocratic, 16 
Josika, founded Hungarian novel, 

138 
Justh, a powerful man, 156 

Kassa, its railway activities, 56 

and Bocskay, 58 

magnificent cathedral, 59 

Katona, his Bank Ban, 135 



INDEX 



351 



Kazan Pass, the grandeur of, 293 
Kisfaludy, Alexander, and the 

sonnet, 133 

Charles, career assured, 134 

Kolcsey, the dreamer, 135 
Kolozsvar, the Magyar element in, 

180 

outstanding features of, 182 

Konyves Kalman (Koloman the 

Studious), 5 
Kossuth the eloquent, 17 
■ — ; — an English speech, 149 

death of, 1 50 

Kossuth Ferencz, authority on 

commerce, 162 

Ladislaus of Bohemia, a mere 
shadow, 10 

Ladislaus the Saint, in litera- 
ture, 5 

Lajos IT., killed retreating, 10 

Laski, seeks aid of Sultan, 171 

rewarded, 172 

Leopold I., treatment of Protest- 
ants, 13 

Leopold II., played at constitution- 
alism, 16 

Liszt lifted up Hungarian music, 
264 

captivated men, 265 

creator of rhapsody, 266 

Madach, The Tragedy of Man, 

142 
Magnates, House of, 164 
Magyars, paprika-fed, xvii 

enjoy retrospect, I 

descendants of Scythians, 3 

superstitious, 42 

description of, 72 

and practical joking, 240 

generosity, 243 

Maramaros Sziget, my first play, 

Maria Theresa and educational 

reform, 15 
Matthias Corvinus, his reign, 9 

created " Black Band," 10 

and learning, 129 

the court of, 130 

Mongols overrun the land, 7 
Munkacsy's facial repertory, 100 



Nagy Enyed, destruction by Wal- 

lachs, 191 
National Museum of immense 

interest, 107 

Oderberg, xv 

Orsova demands attention, 294 

Paal, his work remains, 100 
Palmerston and Hungary, 18 
Parliament, procedure of, 157 

number of members, 147 

history of, 148 

period of, 150 

Parliamentary Franchise, nature of, 

151 

Pest fifty years ago, 30 
Petofi, "Talpra Magyar," 23 

his poetry, 141 

Pozsony, Protestant persecution, 13 

and Hungarian movements, 

282 

to-day, 283 

Pragmatic Sanction, weakness of, 

15 

what it did, 274 

Protestants received complete re- 
ligious freedom, 12 
Puszta, helpless on the, 76 
inhabitants of, 80 

Rakoczy, George, man of peace 

12 
Rakoczy 11., his history, 14 
Rakosi, Jeno, dramatist and pub- 
licist, 145 
Reich, most readable of modern 

writers, 145 
Remenyi and Brahms, 215 
Ronaszek, the salt mines, ?>'^ 
Rudolf the melancholy, 12 
Ruthenians, characteristics of, 88 

St. Stephen, Christianising influ- 
ence, 5 
Saxons were fortunate, 199 

their clergy, 200 

Slav, ambitions in Near East, 344 

possibility, 346 

Slovak, the memory of one, 44 

village, 45 

home, 46 



352 HUNGARY AND THE HUNGARIANS 



Slovak, nature of, 46 

mothers, 49 

Sopron, its forgotten past, 319 
Szapolyai, heading a movement, 10 

crowned king, 1 1 

Szechenyi, apostle of reform, 17 

sad end of, 94 

and navigation scheme, 291 

Szeged, capital of the Alfold, 331 
Szekely, great fresco painter, 99 
Szeklers claimed nobility, 177 

origin of, 187 

Szinyei-Merse, master of colour. 



Tatra, those dim grey heights, 40 
Temesvar, capital of the Barat, 

332 

and Dozsa, 333 

Thokoly and the Kurucz, 13 

Tinodi, the minstrel, 130 

Tisza, Istvan, undoing of his party, 

34 .. . 

ability in abundance, 161 

Tokay, the vineyards, 64 
Tompa and his allegories, 142 
Transylvania a separate entity, 
166 



Transylvania, historical associa- 
tions, 167 

city of refuge, 168 

the Diet of, 175 

union with Hungary, 178 

Magyars of, 179 

Trencsen and its environs, 47 

" Tulip League," boycott of every- 
thing Austrian, 35 

Vajk, successor of Arpad, 4 
Vambery and Turkish nationality, 3 

an amazing linguist, 145 

Vereczke, pass of, 3 

Vorosmarty marks a new era, 136 

Wallachs not roraanised Dacians, 
191 

their own language, 193 

Wekerle and clerical reforms, 28 

qualities for leadership, 162 

Women's work, active, 117 

Zagrab surprisingly lively city, 

r35 
Zrinyi, Nicholas, appeared, 11 

soldier and poet, 132 

Zsolnay and art, 325 



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